A Thought or Two
by Mutt N. Feathers
Summary: Auror Spook Kitty Fawley has returned from years under deep cover to discover what her rash, emotional decision has done to the people she loves. She thought freeing Sirius and rescuing Harry would be the hard part. Can broken hearts and minds be healed enough to live a normal life?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**September 2, 1981**

"You don't have to leave," Lily pleaded. "Harry is going to miss you so much."

"Lily, I can't stay. Not after what happened; not after he humiliated me that way. You'd think nearly two years together would mean something, but…" she trailed off. "You know how to reach me, but please don't share it. Betty knows how to as well. This is a good opportunity for me."

"Kitty, please don't go. He's sorry he—"

"Sorry! We had a spat. I went to my parents to think and the next night he's at a bar and has sex in the bathroom with a Muggle he can't even remember her name? Then he must be treated for some horrible disease that's ravaging people who don't have access to our magical healing! This is more than an 'I'm sorry' and a box of chocolates. I just can't do it anymore, Lil."

"Alright, I understand. Come back soon, yeah? We are really going to miss you." Lily moved to hug Kitty and they clung to each other.

"No more than a year, I promise."

**Chapter 1**

**July 20, 1984**

Ekaterina Aurelia Victoria Lovisa Fawley is someone people moved aside for as she strode purposely through the British Ministry of Magic. Nearly six feet tall in her four-inch stilettos, raven hair that fell to her waist and her brilliantly bright blue eyes were intimidating to many; her athletic build and air of importance only added to her presence. Kitty, as she had been known to her friends, held the direly important papers in her hand while scanning the Atrium for her father. She nearly plowed into a group of children throwing Knuts into the Magical Brethren fountain when she had made eye contact with him.

"Everything successful?" her equally statuesque father asked. Wallace Fawley was a well-known Magical Diplomat and now representative on the International Confederation of Wizards. He stood over six feet, had salt and pepper hair and eyes as dark as his child's were light.

"Albus wasn't thrilled I was meddling in this," Kitty stated, even as they headed to the Disapparation point.

"He committed crimes and he's unhappy someone has pointed it out," Wallace said coldly. "This must be rectified, lest lest I be forced to report him." He respected the Hogwarts Headmaster and was in awe of his magical skill and mind, but the law was there to protect the innocent and punish those who had done wrong.

"Thankfully the other paperwork I filed on Monday is nearly fully accepted. The horrible Muggles are the problem, even though they never legally adopted him." Kitty looped her arm through her father's and allowed him to Side-Along Apparate her to their destination. Rectifying this utter disaster had become her sole purpose in life.

Kitty knew she'd been rash in her decision to leave England and enter work with the New Zealand Ministry of Magic in deep cover, but she was just hurting too much after the death of her friend, Marlene McKinnon, and the betrayal of her on-again-off-again boyfriend. She needed to be away and neither James and Lily being in hiding nor her godson were enough to keep her on British soil. Betty Curran, a close friend and former roommate with she, Marlene and Lily always knew how to reach her. Plus, the Potters had the Marauders to protect them, and they were more than friends, they were brothers. When she'd finally ended her deep cover mission within New Zealand and was able to head back to her parents' home in Paris, she was made aware of the horrible facts. She used the Floo to the British Ministry immediately and began redeeming favors from nearly everyone she could. Kitty finally called her father and he opened doors for her that her last name and five-year career in the Ministry couldn't.

She stood with her father at the gates of Azkaban hoping she'd eventually gain forgiveness from the two people who had suffered most at the hands of her impetuousness. Her father took the papers from her hands and presented them to the wizard at the gates.

Inside, Sirius Black was doing push-ups. He needed the strength in his arms and shoulders; sometimes it was the only thing which kept him from ending up in the dislocation position when they brought him in for 'questioning'. His strength saved him on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, being chained to the wall was one of the easier ways to manage methods of torture here. He snapped his mind closed on those thoughts. Nothing good came from remembering or worrying about what might come next. Instead he thought about his school years, when he'd been happy, and his 'family' had been whole.

"Black, get up," the guard barked, and Sirius did what he'd been told. Uncomfortable thoughts niggled at his mind; he wasn't due to be questioned for another week. His inquisitors were nothing if not predictable.

"Where I am going?" Sirius asked, even as he present his arms – wrists together, palms up – for shackling. The magical binders cut into the never quite healed scars there. The guard said nothing. Sirius' gut tightened in fear. A Dementor floated behind him, forcing him to remember the Halloween night when he found James face up, eyes staring at nothing. He'd been forced to climb over his dead friend's body to get to the nursery. When they didn't turn toward the 'Interrogation suite', but rather the front gates, Sirius no longer knew what was happening.

He nearly fell over when he saw Kitty and Wallace standing there.

Sirius Black had never loved anyone, save his adopted mother Euphemia Potter, the way he had loved Kitty. His hurting her and her subsequent flight from England was a shock to his system. He blamed James and Lily's deaths on his distraction that Halloween night. He should have been with them. He should have been on guard that night. Instead, he had flown his bike to see if Kitty had returned from wherever she was. He was only gone a little while, no more than a half an hour. It was long enough.

He couldn't wrap his head around why she was here. "What are you…" Sirius trailed off. His shackles were released, and the shards of his wand shoved into his open palm. He nearly dropped them before he realized what it was.

"Sir," he said, quickly removing his eyes from Kitty's to her father's. He quickly tried to wipe his hands off on his uniform, but discovered it was in worse shape than he. Kitty lifted her wand and cleaned his hands up a bit.

"Thanks," he muttered before he offered his hand to Wallace.

"Sirius," Wallace said before stiffly shaking the waiting palm. "Do you have everything, my Katia?" The man might have been born as an Englishman, but when he said his daughter's name the Russian heritage in him could be heard.

"I'll be fine, Papa," she said quietly. "I'm going back to the house."

"Okay," he said with a nod. "Mama and I are only in Paris, if you should need us." Wallace turned and strode away, leaving the former lovers staring at each other in the dark and damp vestibule of the prison.

"There's something you need to sign, and then we can be going." Kitty wanted to look anywhere but at his face. Just because she couldn't leave him here to rot didn't mean this was easy on her. However, she would be with him for as long as he wanted to stay. Knowing Sirius, it would be a long time.

"Did your father just get me out of prison?" Sirius asked.

"No," Kitty snapped. "I did. If I hadn't been so deep undercover, I would have been here years ago, but I honestly did not know until three days ago. Since then I've been fighting almost everyone to get you and Harry back home with me."

"You've seen Harry?" Sirius said as he quickly scribbled on the parchment the waiting clerk was holding.

"Yes, and you will too, tomorrow, if I can clean you up."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"**Set Me Free"**

Kitty had to hold Sirius upright when the Portkey landed them in her backyard. She could feel the strong muscles of his arm and too much of his ribs as she held his back. Azkaban had been harder on him than she'd considered.

"Come on, let's get you inside," she muttered when Sirius had gained his balance. She let go of him because she didn't want to be reminded of what it felt like to hold him and be held.

The Fawley estate dated from the late Tudor period and was built in the classic Tudor style. Forty-nine bedrooms, two kitchens, twelve receiving rooms and seventeen retrofitted bathrooms made up the main house. The stables had been converted to a garage and broom shed and the summer kitchens were now a guest house. The gardens were palatial and required three magical herbologists to maintain them. There was no longer any livestock, save the few sheep who were kept maintaining the rolling lawns in shape. The ground floor was open to the public on specific days, and Kitty avoided the over-decorated period rooms there. She preferred the private second and third floors and was happy to remain among her things and her preference for simple, clean lines.

The estate had been given to her on her seventeenth birthday, since her parents were rarely in the country due to her father's diplomatic work. They kept the London home in Belgravia. The townhouse was hidden from Muggles the same way Sirius' childhood home was. She couldn't understand why no one ever questioned the numbers skipping across theirs, but she supposed that was the magic of the place. Six additional homes, including a cottage in the Cotswold's, a hunting lodge in Scotland and a beach house were other places here parents could stay, should they decide to be in the U.K. for more than a day.

Her parents had baulked at her becoming an Auror – she was rich enough that her future children's great-grandchildren would never need a job – but she was intrigued by the position. She went through Auror school with James, although he remained domestic while she became a Spook. Kitty excelled at Transfiguration and Arithmancy and with her pureblood upbringing, moved easily among the most elite circles of European Wizarding societies. She took down more than one Death Eater that way.

Officially Kitty carried three titles, Princess of Sweden through her maternal grandmother, Princess Lovisa: Lady Ekaterina by way of her great-grandfather, the Duke of Cumberland and Lady Fawley of Kent. The only person who ever called her any of these was Sirius Black; and he called her Lady Katie when he wanted something from her. She hated the name Katie from anyone but Sirius. He wouldn't have the privilege of using that name anymore.

"Come on," she said, looking at the now lowering sun. It must be close to dinner time she thought. "I'm sure you'd like fresh clothes and a shower and shave. I can't believe you have so much facial hair, you always hated it so."

"A good shave wasn't an option where I was," Sirius replied sadly. He grabbed her hand and made her stop. She looked down at his hand holding hers in shock before she pulled it away. "I can't thank you enough for doing this. I never thought I'd get to see Harry or you –" 

"Remus too," she said curtly, not wanting to discuss their past. "He's living in the guest house and has been since I left. I don't let the human staff into my rooms and the elves kept up with the cleaning and such, but it was nice to have a friend check in on my plants."

"I had always promised him I'd be there for him," Sirius replied. "Jamie and I had made a pact. I'm glad someone followed through."

"James and I had the same pact. I have more than enough money to make sure none of us want for anything. Come on, I've had a nice suite arranged for you." She set off again for the house, and Sirius quickly followed. He hadn't remembered just how lively her step was, but he thought now about how she was the only girl who ever kept up with James, Remus and him.

Kitty was thankful that this wasn't a day the house was open to the public. It allowed them to use the magical door. It looked like a window to the Muggles who toured, but to anyone with magic, there was an ornate set of French doors that scanned your wand and your magical intent in crossing the threshold. If you intended harm or had used your wand for dark magic, the doorway would stop you. Her parents had not been followers of You-Know-Who, choosing instead to live abroad. It was only through her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Louise Adelaide Mathilda Charlotte of the House of Hohenzollern, the deposed consort to the King of Greece (yes, Kitty was related to the Queen of England very distantly) that Kitty was able to stay in the U.K. to finish her education. No one messed with her great-grandmama. She was vehemently opposed to Grindelwald and stood up to Voldemort when he came to collect Kitty's grandfather and great-uncle. It was the human wars which caused her to lose her throne, but her royal blood kept the magical menace from killing her.

Once through the threshold, it was easy to Apparate to the second or third floor. Since Sirius didn't have his wand, and he'd been magically suppressed for so long, Kitty led him to the Muggle lift to take him upstairs. Laying her hand against what appeared to be a cupboard door, it swung open. She pressed the button and the metal, cage-like barrier slid open.

"Why do you have an lift?" Sirius asked.

"Although we don't like them upstairs, there are occasions the north and south wings need to be accessed by the human staff. There are some private tours which show off the Queen's bedroom or the place where Mad King George dined."

"Ah," Sirius said as he climbed in. "Haven't been in one of these since I went with Lily to buy a wedding present for Jamie."

"I remember her telling me about that trip," Kitty said with a smile. "Did you ride the escalator up and down for twenty minutes? She said you'd reach the floor below and get right back on to go up."

"It was fascinating," he said as the lift lurched into motion. It caused him to lose his balance and Kitty again needed to hold him up.

"She said you were a goof and quite embarrassing," Kitty smiled at him.

"Lily did her own share of goofy and embarrassing things," Sirius said. "Remember when she made Marlene show her how the portrait door opened and closed over and over our first night there?"

"Yeah," Kitty said quietly. "I remember." She'd never let go of him this time, so when the lift stopped, Sirius didn't move with it. Letting go, Kitty reached for the gate, but Sirius beat her to it, and opened it wide.

"Ladies first," he stated.

"Your manners always were impeccable," she begrudgingly said. "I've only been living in the west wing. Everything I need is here, including a nice set of rooms for you and a little bedroom for Harry between us. When he grows up, he can have his suite, but for right now he can use the old servants' room and my loo. Well, I hope these rooms are decorated to your liking." 

The benefit of the rooms in the West Wing was the spectacular views from the windows of the Kentish countryside. The room was done in a warm tan with navy and red accents. "No plaid," Sirius commented.

"Give me some credit," she said with a barely held smile. "Remus is the one who loved the plaids. I know you hated them. I also avoided your family's preferred decorating palette. I hope you approve."

"Lady Katie, this is stunning."

"Last time you get to call me that," she said firmly and giving him an irritated glance. "I figured with spending all that time in somewhere cold and dark you might like warm and light."

To the left of the door was a sitting area with brown leather sofas and two dark red wingback chairs by the fireplace. There was a small dining table with a booster chair on one of the seats. Sirius turned around to see the bedroom on the right and barked out a loud laugh at the artwork there.

"How did you…where?" he incoherently asked.

"Please, I know what your real passion was. I told Pansy what I wanted, that cost was irrelevant, and she had them for me in a day," Kitty said of the prints of sixties and seventies motorbikes she'd framed and clustered on one wall. "I figured it was a good thing to wake up and see. There is a linen press as well as a wardrobe in here, but I'm sure you remember the cupboards on the fourth floor for anything you want to store. And your loo is over there. I think I stocked it with your preferred items, but it was hard to remember them all. The clothes you'd left here are still here and I sent Remus out to buy you pants and shirts and socks and such. If you need anything that isn't here, Cheery or Rumple will take care of it." Kitty wasn't used to feeling so unsure of herself and her rambling was a sure sign of it. "I'll let you get to it. If you're hungry, Cheery has prepared dinner, I'm sure you remember where the dining room is on this floor. I'll see when you're done." Kitty made her retreat so hastily Sirius didn't have time to say anything to her in thanks.

He was sure of one thing; his Lady Katie still cared. What he didn't know was if it was going to be enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"**Black Celebration"**

It only took Sirius a half an hour to get himself to a presentable state. He'd asked Kitty to borrow her wand, but instead offered him use of one of the many wands which belonged to deceased family members. She had no issue with loaning Sirius her wand, except it wasn't fond of being used by others. The Fir and Thestral hair wand that chose Kitty when she was eleven was exceptionally loyal and it had never liked when a boy or man attempted to use it. Sirius was able to select one made from Russian Birch and Firebird feather as its core. Kitty couldn't tell him who it had belonged to, but assumed it came through her Grandmama.

He did indeed remember where the dining room was on the second floor of Kitty's home. The room used for banquets was a floor below, and he'd eaten there too; but this particular room was intended for family only. It seated only twelve, versus the one which could seat thirty or the round tables which could be set up in the ballroom to seat hundreds. There were touches of Kitty's care all over the room; fresh flowers and soft orchestral music played, and the dishes were ivory with a simple gold rim. Even the table was like her; oval shaped so there were no corners and a gossamer thin tablecloth which allowed the diners to see the beautiful inlay of dogwood branches on the tabletop.

When Sirius saw Kitty, he was glad he remembered her family tradition of dressing for dinner. No, they didn't put on tails and gowns anymore, but even at school Kitty always looked refreshed – tie perfectly secured and no wrinkles in her robes. He'd chosen a pair of dark jeans and a dark grey dress shirt; his feet, however, were in his extra pair of riding boots which had been here since she'd gone to her parents after their spat. She was wearing a beautiful blue sundress, her hair pulled to the side in a loose ponytail with an orchid pinned in it which matched the ones on her dress perfectly.

"You look good with a tan," he said, noticing the bikini top lines along her shoulders.

"I had plenty of opportunity to go to the beach while I was away," she said, turning away from the windows to face him. "However, Christmas in summertime was something I could not get used to."

"Not quite the snow of Northern Scotland?" he asked.

"Definitely not. Would you like something to drink? I've taken out a white wine, but Rumple keeps the liquor cabinet stocked."

"Any Muggle beer?"

She smiled and chuckled. "I figured that was what you'd choose. Yes, come on over and pick something. Remus will be here any minute." Sirius selected a stout and she motioned for them to move to the patio beyond, where the table was set for three.

"I'm surprised you're in Muggle clothes. You never owned many of them before," he said holding out her chair before sitting down in his own.

"I floated between the Magical and Muggle worlds while I was gone." There was a stiffness to the conversation which troubled them both, but neither knew what to do to remedy it. "The last two years I lived and worked as a Muggle."

"I can't believe that Lady Katia Fawley, related to Magical royalty lived as a Muggle. Did you lock your wand up?" Sirius said sceptically as he sipped his beer.

"Of course, I didn't," Kitty said in shock. "I just concealed it well. Remarkable what you can do with a well-honed glamour." She waved her wand in a circular motion over her head and her hair shortened and lightened to a pale blonde bob cut and her wide, blue eyes became almond shaped and a tawny brown. With a similar wave she put her looks back.

"I could have passed you on the street and I wouldn't have recognized you," Sirius said honestly. After a moment of silence and another long pull of his beer he screwed up the courage to ask Kitty a questions which had been niggling at him since early this afternoon. "Why did you come get me? How did you free me?"

"I came to get you because you never should have been in Azkaban. You weren't given the benefit of a trial and that's against International Wizarding Law. As soon as I arrived at their house my mother made a point of telling me, and I quote: "it was a good thing I hadn't thrown my lot in with you since you ended up killing my friend". When they couldn't tell me more – you know how little they pay attention to what is happening here – I came to the estate and found Remus and learned all the horrible details."

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you I did it," Sirius scoffed.

"I told her that I had worked with Professor McGonagall for the last few years trying to convince Dumbledore that you were innocent. I even contacted Kitty's father, but Wallace never returned my numerous letters or fire-calls," Remus said as he entered the patio, leaning down to kiss Kitty's cheek before he looked at Sirius for a long moment before pulling his friend into a great bear hug. "I never believed you'd hurt them," Remus muttered into Sirius' head. "You can be a right git sometimes, but you loved Jamie and Lily too much to ever hurt them."

It was a long, strong hug and both men needed to wipe a tear from their eye when it was done. Kitty poured Remus a glass of the wine and when the pleasantries were done, she continued her story as Cheery brought out a tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette.

"I confronted Papa about why he never answered Remus' requests and was sure it wasn't because of some long-outdated notion that all werewolves were evil," Kitty said with a huff of disgust. "I then made him assist me. Harry's paperwork was easier to finalize than yours was. Petunia and that hippopotamtic landmass she married never adopted Harry, so tomorrow I shall go and pick him up with the forms stating he is mine and that will be the end of it. You will need to face a trial, and then when you're officially cleared, you can adopt Harry as well. Remus, you will be the scholarly uncle that ensures he learns something before he goes to Hogwarts."

"You've figured it all out, haven't you," Sirius said in wonder.

"Of course, I have. It's what I do." The gents laughed at her and the absolute resolve which had always permeated every aspect of Kitty Fawley's life. With the three of them together, conversation moved more freely and comfortably. They reminisced on their school days, on Harry as a baby and Kitty explained about her work tracking Death Eater money through Europe, to South Africa and eventually to New Zealand and the underground gemstone trade. It was nearing ten before Remus decided to go back to his cottage. Sirius and Kitty walked down the long hallway to their suites.

"I'm just through those adjoining doors," she explained. "That will be Harry's room; safely between ours. Don't hesitate to get me if you want or need…" she trailed off uncomfortably. She turned and walked quickly away, wanting to avoid any more oddness between her and Sirius.

Three hours later, struggling with the time change, Kitty heard a blood-curdling scream from down the hall. It only sounded twice, but it was enough to give her Goosebumps over her entire being. Not a minute later a light rapping was heard on her door, and she bade Sirius enter.

"Don't you sleep either?" he asked as he lounged against the doorjamb in his pyjama bottoms and tee shirt. The shirt and his hair were soaked with sweat.

"The time-change is brutal. I'll be comatose tomorrow afternoon, but I just can't seem to settle my mind enough to sleep. Come on in," she said, nodding at the other half of the king-sized bed they'd once shared. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What is there to tell?" Sirius said pensively. He sat on the side of bed that used to be his, so he could look at Kitty. "The Dementors remind you of the worst moments in your life, and I've had a fair share of horrible things happen to me. Being surrounded by that day in and day out has kept it all at the forefront of my mind." Kitty reached over and took his hand.

"Tell me, please."

"It was a replay of that Halloween night," he told her quietly. "The house was partly blown away when I landed my bike. I knew it was my worst fear. I never expected to have to step over Jamie's body to get to Harry. He was bleeding and Lily was…" Sirius trailed off.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you through that. I should have been. I just…my pride was in tatters. The consequences of my letting my emotions get the best of me. I suppose it's why Mama and Papa warned me against making choices based on them."

"It's Voldemort's fault they are dead. Don't take that blame on yourself," Sirius said sharply.

"But, it's okay for you to?" Kitty said raising her eyebrow.

"Touché. I should have been there with them," he added. "Remus was off with the werewolves and it was my night to support them, but I ran off for a while and that's when he got to them."

"What was so important that it caused you to leave them?" Kitty was afraid of the answer and Sirius was hesitant to give it. He cracked his neck, the sound made Kitty cringe. She chose to say nothing, waiting for his answer.

"I flew here." The answer landed like a brick between them, and Kitty pulled her hand away, feeling mortified, enraged and guilty all at once. Any physical contact felt forbidden at that moment.

"Oh, Merlin, it was my fault," she cried, putting her hand over her mouth in shame. Everything she had repressed for the last few days came pouring out of her, and Sirius scooted over to the bed to hold her.

"It isn't your fault," he soothed. It could never be your fault, Kitty. You didn't even know they were in hiding. Shh, stop crying, luv." He rocked her gently, tears falling from his own eyes as he watched this usually strong and reserved woman weep like a child. As she calmed, he settled her down on the bed and pulled the light blanket that was folded at the end, up over her. He was surprised when she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her when he attempted to leave.

'Stay, please," she begged quietly. Sirius lay down and summoned another throw from the basket at the foot of the bed he used to trip over. When he was settled she reached for his hand and held it through the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This chapter is longer than I usually write, and I had a blast doing it. I hope you enjoy. MNF**

**Chapter 4:**

"**World Full of Nothing"**

Kitty was surprised when she awoke alone and blushed when she remembered her behaviour the night before. It wasn't that she'd done anything wrong; she and Sirius had slept on the blankets, but she had begged him to stay. It was a weakness she could not show. Reinforcing her internal resolve, she showered, dressed, and headed down for breakfast and was pleased to find Cheery working away in the kitchen for the luncheon Harry would arrive home to.

This was not the kitchen in the lowest level of the mansion, designed to create meals for hundreds several times a day. This was the comfortable and well-used kitchen in what Kitty called her flat. Three bedrooms, if you count the little bedroom, she'd created for Harry, a sitting room, a music room, a lounge, the dining room, and this kitchen. Yes, her flat was more substantial than many of the homes on the grounds of the manor house; but it was better than one person rambling about in the mammoth almost-castle she owned. Her parents insisted they live like the royalty they were; Kitty wanted to live like a normal witch.

"It smells delightful in here," Kitty happily said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Rumple had a liking for the brew as well, so Cheery kept a fresh pot on the stove. "Oh, have you made your raspberry crème puffs for dessert?"

"I have your Ladyship," Cherry said. "Fresh croissants are cooling on the counter as well." Kitty smiled excitedly, and she nicked one and put it on one of the plates next to the rack. When she sat down at the kitchen table, a bowl of strawberries magically appeared before her.

"Fresh from the hothouse, your Ladyship," Rumple said as he materialized in the kitchens. The magic her house-elves always had surprised and delighted her. Then again, her grandmother insisted that she treat them with respect and dignity. Kitty realized she treated them better than most of the humans in her employ, as she didn't know the majority of their names or what exactly they did. The board for the estate and her accountant took care of the employ and pay of them. That was something else her grandmother had taught her; don't distinguish between Muggles, witches, wizards, Squibs, or sentient creatures – they were all humans and worthy of dignity. It was only while she was away did she fully understand why her Grandmama had been so fierce in her teachings; her grandmother had her pride taken away from her when her crown was forced from her head, and she had to slink back to Great Britain with her husband to die in exile. Kitty pondered her elves, wondering if she could do more for them.

"Would you two please just call me Katia, like you have all of my life." The two elves were hers, a gift from her grandmother when she was just eight. When Kitty was seventeen, it was fun to have her elves call her by her title. Now, after years of living on her own without anyone knowing who she was, she simply wanted to be Kitty.

"You're the lady of the house now," Rumple explained. "We should recognize you as such."

"Well, thank you, but when it's just us at home and only Sirius, Harry, and Remus, will you please call me Katia?"

"If that's what you wish, miss," Rumple said, still unable to call her by her first name. The elf came over closer to her and motioned for her to bend toward him. "Your mister Sirius was asleep on the floor when I came through early this morning." Kitty nodded, wondering why that would be, but it wasn't something she'd address right away. Rumple moved away, and Kitty attacked her breakfast with gusto. Just as she popped the last strawberry into her mouth, Sirius entered the kitchen area.

"What happened to the casual Kitty from yesterday?" he asked. Sirius had dressed in some dark jeans and a black button-down shirt with some sort of tee underneath, which Kitty figured was a rock band shirt. His hair was neat, a miracle for early morning, and pulled back and secured with a leather strap. His facial hair was a clean and close cut, just a moustache and small goatee. His skin looked healthier, but there was a greyness to his skin, which might take time and sunshine to cure. While he was smiling at her, the smile did not reach his eyes. The grey orbs which reminded her of summer storms now looked lifeless and haunted. She hoped Harry and their new family would bring back the passion he'd always had.

"I'll change once we're back," Kitty answered as Cherry manoeuvred Sirius into a chair and then placed a plate of scrambled eggs, croissants, and fruit down in front of him. Kitty slid the jam and marmalade pots toward him without even thinking. Slathered in homemade jellies was his favourite way to eat Cherry's baked goods. "This morning, I'm playing the role of the ice princess. If I thought wearing my tiara would add to the intimidation, I'd plop it on my head now." Sirius laughed, knowing Kitty wasn't one to ever want to wear any of her crowns, tiaras, or even hats unless necessary. Her time in New Zealand seemed to have only strengthened her resolve.

Sirius gave her a long, longing look. Kitty had pulled her long hair back into a bun, diamond clips holding back the sides. Her neck had a thick gold chain with a ridiculously ostentatious diamond pendant attached. Her ears were adorned with large diamond solitaires, and her wrist not only had a diamond watch on one side but a gold and jewel-encrusted bracelet that matched the pink of her dress. She wore an expensive Muggle wrap dress, the signature 'look' of the designer in the must-have colour of the season. Her expensive shoes and purse completed the outfit. Even if Petunia only looked at fashion magazines at the hairdresser, she would know Kitty had exquisite taste and the money to buy whatever she wanted.

"Ah, I do love when you play the Queen of the Ice Palace," Sirius said with a sly smile. "She's such a bitch."

"Exactly. Arabella Figg has lived across the street from those wretched people since a few months after Harry was deposited there. They treat him a little better than a slave, which is horrific." Kitty said with contempt. She truly hated Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

"I would like to take them down a peg or two as well –"

"Not today!" Kitty commanded, holding her finger up. "You're only free on my promise that I'll keep you out of trouble until your hearing. You will take Harry away and Portkey back here with him and his luggage. I will deal with the Muggles. Do you understand me?"

"You don't have to be the ice princess with me, Ekaterina." Her assertion injured Sirius' pride that he couldn't behave.

"Perhaps not, but promise me, Sirius." He just stared at her. "If you want to stay here with Harry and me, promise, please." The last word came out as a whisper, and Sirius wasn't ever able to deny her when she spoke that way.

"Fine, but it's the last time I sit back quietly."

"I would never presume to ask you again." He finished his breakfast quietly while she scanned the headlines of the _Daily Prophet._ "Your release went unnoticed, just like I was promised it would. A healer, a good friend of mine from France, is coming by today to give you and Harry a complete physical. From the looks of your teeth, I think I need to get a dentawizard here to look at you both."

"You have it all figured out, don't you?" Sirius asked in frustration. Kitty looked at him for a moment, the gap between them feeling as if it were widening every second the stillness hardened between them. Cheery and Rumple had quietly disappeared from the kitchen, sensing the former friends and lovers had too much to say.

"Hardly," she answered softly. "After today, I have no idea what comes next."

"What comes next is we raise Harry as Jamie and Lils would have," Sirius said confidently.

"I don't know the first thing about small children. I barely remember being a small child. My grandpapa always joked I walked out of the womb as a little grown-up. I don't want him to be raised with all the stupid rules and expectations that we did. None of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families nonsense. Yes, he will be Lord Potter one day, but I want him to be Harry, just Harry, first."

"Sounds like you've got a start there," Sirius said before digging into his second croissant.

"Not much of one," Kitty muttered. They were quiet while he chewed, and she sipped her coffee. "I was surprised to find you gone this morning."

"I had trouble sleeping in what used to be our bed." Kitty's stomach clenched, and a flood of memories passed through her so quickly she felt the first stirrings of need grip her heart. "I thought waking up there would be difficult for both of us," he finished.

"Oh." Kitty was staring at the six crumbs she'd left on her plate, studying them as if she would be given an exam on their size and shape. Sirius reached for her hand.

"Kitty, we will figure out how everything will work out with Harry…and us too. Let's take it one day at a time, alright?" Kitty nodded and softly smiled. It was Sirius' turn to have his stomach clench with memories.

Less than an hour later, the pair Disapparated to the small café where her solicitor had arranged the handoff. Kitty and Sirius walked into "The Perky Pot" ten minutes early.

"How provincial," Kitty said with disdain.

"Snob," Sirius replied. Kitty gave him a long, sideways glance.

"Look who's talking, Lord Black." Sirius swallowed his laugh, knowing she was right.

As Kitty suspected, the family was already sitting at a table eating. Their arrival surprised and unsettled the adults, which was her plan. Sirius didn't mind walking behind her, Kitty in power-mode was a sight to behold. "Vernon, Petunia, how lovely to see you again," she said as she neared the curved booth, standing too close to Vernon so that he couldn't get up and greet her face to face. Instead, he stared up at her in disbelief. Sirius, on the other hand, knelt, so he was face to face with Harry, who was at the other end.

"Yes, uh, Miss, er," Vernon stumbled.

"You may call me Princess Ekaterina Aurelia Victoria Lovisa Fawley, Lady of Cambridge and Duchess of Kent. Your sister called me Kitty, Petunia." Kitty stood to her full height, neck long and straight so that she honestly looked down her nose at these people.

"Kit-Kat?" Harry said softly.

"That's right, Harry. Your mummy and daddy told you stories about Kit-Kat," Sirius said softly, putting a gentle hand on his back and rubbing it. "Stories about Kit-Kat and –."

"Doggy?" the little boy asked with eager eyes.

"Yes, Harry, I'm your Uncle Sirius, but you called me Doggy." Sirius opened his arms, and Harry wiggled himself out of the booth and let the man hold himself. Harry did not wrap his arms around Sirius, but the man was not deterred and picked Harry up to keep him at the same level as he and Kitty.

"Sirius, will you take Harry home now?" she inquired softly, and Sirius nodded his response. "Where are his things?" Kitty asked.

"I don't have any things, Kit-Kat," Harry said plainly.

"He isn't worth having anything," Dudley said. "He's a freak!" The child barely had the last word out before he stuffed an entire rasher of bacon into his mouth.

"I'm a freak," Harry said responsively.

"Harry, you are not a freak," Sirius said emphatically. "You are an extraordinary little boy who has a family that will love you now."

"Sirius is right; you're delightful just as you are. As for clothes and books and toys, I made sure our house has plenty. Go on now, I need to talk with your Aunt and Uncle, and then I'll be there," she said then placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Uncle Remus should be waiting for you in the back garden." Sirius nodded and left the restaurant. Kitty put her hand on the grip of her wand and erected a Silencing Charm around the pudgy little boy stuffing pancakes into his mouth with his hands.

"We have cared for him for years," Vernon began. "We deserve some compensation." Kitty looked down at him in disgust.

"Compensation for what? In a short time, I saw Harry. I can tell that you do not feed him enough, as witnessed by you all having full meals and Harry having a slice of dry toast. He did not have his clothes on, but rather some dingy and holey cast-off from your elephantine son. Additionally, there is hair missing from the back of Harry's head that has either been worn off or ripped from his head; I didn't get quite close enough of a look to determine which. He is both short in stature and underweight for his age. Additionally, there are welts on the back of his legs that look just about the width of a belt, and the yellowing bruise on his face distinctly resembles a palm print. Not to mention his spontaneous response to being called a 'freak.' Shall I go on?"

"You can't prove anything!" Vernon said in an angry huff.

"You think so?" Kitty said, bending down, so her face was but a hair from his. "I have the world's best magical evidence department at my fingertips. Forensic pathologists from both the magical and the Muggle worlds." She lowered her voice even quieter than it had already been. "Do you want to find out what the weight of my family names can do to someone like you?"

"You don't know anything about us. That boy is a menace!" Petunia finally had enough nerve to speak.

"That little boy is the last piece of your sister, whom I loved dearly. She taught me about friendship, compassion, and being a good person. Her husband was a just, honest man who loved Lily fiercely –"

"He was a no-good lazy bum!" Vernon retorted.

"He was the Marquess of Sussex, and he did have a job. He was in the equivalent of your MI-6, and we trained together. That little boy you treated like he was dirt under your feet will one day take his title, his lands, his homes, and his fortune, and he will not even remember you." Kitty struggled to contain her anger

"Then there is money to be had," Petunia again decided to speak. "We deserve some." Kitty laughed menacingly at her before sitting down in the space vacated by Harry.

"The irony here is simply delicious," she began with a sugary sweet demeanor that was utterly false. "Had you taken the time to sign the adoption papers and make Harry your child, his welfare account would have been at your disposal. There were millions of Muggle pounds sitting there this whole while, and you missed them. They're gone from you now as I signed his adoption papers earlier today. All of his accounts are under my discretion now, and I don't need Harry's money, so it will sit there until he decides what to do with it."

"I'll sue you for it!" Vernon roared, causing the other patrons to stare at him.

"You will sue me?" Kitty said slowly and with barely withheld amusement. "People like you do not get anywhere when trying to sue someone like me. My legal team can tie you up in endless motions and briefings so that even if I one day agreed to give you any money, your solicitor would just collect it from you in fees. A family does not hold onto one's title and lands for four-hundred years without learning something about what to do with the vermin which scuttle beneath our feet." Kitty's voice was harsh, brittle, and chilling. Vernon was a remarkable shade of purplish-green that had her worried he might have a cardiac arrest. She worried for just the moment it took her to exhale rapidly, and then her concern was over. Petunia was ignoring her husband. Instead, she was covetously staring at Kitty's jewels. This was a couple who deserved each other, Kitty thought and decided she was done with the Dursley family.

"Additionally, should you ever make any move towards Harry or his fortune, the comfortable life you now live will be over. You see, I'm a Spook. I can create words with a snap of my fingers, and with another, I can tear someone's world apart."

Kitty was quiet for a moment before she snapped her fingers, making Vernon and Petunia jump.

"Now, I'm going to release the Silencing Charm around your son. If I were you, I'd have his mental acuity checked, for he has been sitting here, watching us talk and not noticed he couldn't hear a word we've said."

"How dare you!" Petunia stammered.

"I dare quite easily," Kitty replied with an eye-roll she could no longer restrain. "Now, here is some money to cover your meal. Do not ever say I never gave you anything. I hope we never meet again." Kitty turned on her heel and strode from the café, feeling quite satisfied. Remus and Sirius were going to love seeing this memory tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 6:**

**A Pain That I'm Used To**

**Author's Note: My beta has said this needs a tissue warning. You have been so warned.**

Kitty landed in her back garden and desperately wanted to shower – remove her 'war-paint' make-up, the sticky feeling on her hands from touching the table, and the pall of revulsion she felt from being in the presence of the vile Muggles. _"Lily, my dear friend," _Kitty whispered as she neared the patio where Harry stood with Remus and Sirius, _"I am so sorry he was there for so long. He will be loved for the rest of his life. I swear it."_

The closer Kitty came to the patio, the more concerned she became. Harry stood by alone, feet away from Sirius and Remus. His arms were crossed over his chest, hugging himself, and he was nodding his head in a tattoo only he heard. When Remus saw her, he whispered to Sirius to stay with Harry and motioned for Kitty to meet him on the other side of the patio.

"What happened?" Kitty asked.

"I was here when Sirius brought him here, and we were about to go into the house when I commented on the wound on his arm. It looks like he was burned, and I wanted to fix him up. Harry just stopped and started murmuring that he's a 'bad boy who didn't hide it well.' I'd say he was in some form of catatonia."

"What the hell did these people do to him? A burn on his arm, welts on his legs, he's missing hair on his crown, his belly is distended, and he's quite small for his age. Can you get in touch with Minerva? She's dealt with all sorts of children; perhaps she'll know someone who can give us some insight?"

"I'd be happy to. What do we do now?"

"I think he needs a four-legged friend from his past," Kitty said with some degree of hope. "Get Sirius to have Padfoot come out and play. I'm going to change my clothes quickly, and then together, we can start to undo whatever this is."

Remus strode back to Sirius and whispered a single word to his friend. Sirius had been considering the same thing and slipped behind the climbing rose hedge that ringed the patio. A moment later, his mangy alter-ego came back. At the sight of the dog, Harry stopped for a moment and stood perfectly still. Remus was happy that Harry had stopped his rocking behaviour.

"This is our doggy, Padfoot," Remus said. "He's very kind; you can pet him." At that, Padfoot came up to Harry and looked him in the eye. Harry was so tiny that Padfoot had to tip his head down to see the boy. The pain in Harry's green eyes resonated so strongly within Sirius that he nearly lost concentration and slid back to being human.

Harry stood post still, arms now dropped to his sides. Testing the waters, Padfoot nudged Harry's hand with his snout and wiggled his way around so that Harry's hand was placed on Padfoot's head, just behind his ears. It was his favourite place to be petted. Harry moved his hand ever so slightly, which caused Padfoot to let out a happy little bark. Harry immediately withdrew his hand and stepped away. Remus knelt in front of the little boy.

"It's okay, he liked that," Remus said. "That was a happy bark. See." Remus took his hand and gave Padfoot a good scratch behind his ears, and Padfoot not only barked again but gave Remus a big kiss on the cheek. Remus growled in a tone too low for Harry to hear, but just fine for a dog's ears. "Why don't you try?"

Harry reached over and petted Padfoot, and when the dog kissed Harry on the cheek, the child laughed brightly. Harry continued to pet Padfoot for a minute more before the dog took off running, Harry chasing after it. Remus was thankful that Harry was easily distracted from his distress. Kitty came out to the lively scene, now dressed in a pair of bright pink capri pants and a ruffled-sleeve white blouse. She carried a smaller stuffed version of Padfoot. When Padfoot saw her, he came running over and kissed her hand rather sloppily.

"The worst part about you being in that form," she muttered. "Your slobber." Remus chuckled at the comment, unsure of where the two stood with each other. "Harry, look, this is a little stuffed dog that looks like our Padfoot. You can carry it with you and give it a good hug whenever you want. I'm going to send Padfoot inside now. He needs to find Uncle Sirius. My elves, Cheery and Rumple, are going to bring lunch out here. Won't that be fun?" Padfoot lumbered off toward the magical door, and Harry was surprised to see it open automatically.

"How did it open?" Harry asked.

"Magic, Harry. We are all magical folks. Auntie Kitty is a witch, and you, Uncle Sirius and I are wizards," Remus answered as he took the boy by his hand to walk him to the area under the pergola where the dining table stood.

"Uncle Vernon said magic isn't real," Harry said.

"Magic is very real, Harry," Kitty said when they were at the table. "Put your little Padfoot down, and I'll show you." Kitty waved her wand, and suddenly Harry's hands were covered in rainbow-coloured bubbles. "Give your hands a good scrub together," she directed, and he excitedly did. "Now, hold them out for me."

Harry thrust his small hands at her, and with a wave from Remus' wand, the bubbles were gone, and warm air blew over the boy's digits. "I'd say you're clean and dry now."

"That was fun!" Harry cheered. "Can we do it again?"

"How about after lunch? You can have a whole tub full of magical bubbles." Kitty tried to sound excited, but the emotion was swallowed when Harry reached for his toy and began to rock again. "Harry, are you upset?" she asked, kneeling to look at him face to face.

"Yes," a hushed voice replied. His little body was shaking.

"Can you tell me why?"

"I'm not supposed to let anybody see my body. That's what Aunt Petunia said." The bottom fell out of Kitty's gut, and Remus put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why did she say that, Harry?"

"I'm not supposed to tell."

"You can tell us," Remus added gently. "You can tell any of us anything. You're never going to see Aunt Petunia ever again."

"Really?" Harry said, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"We promise, Harry. The four of us are going to be a family and live together from now on," Sirius said as he exited the house. He'd removed his dress shirt and untucked his tee. This one was for a Muggle band he'd taken Kitty to hear before they were dating, a Muggle band named RUSH. She recognized it as the one he'd purchased that night. She'd often slept in it when he lived with her.

"Families only have a mummy and one daddy. We have too many daddies."

"Families come in all shapes and sizes," Remus replied. "We have just happened to have two adult men, one lady, and a little boy." Harry nodded in understanding, or at least what a five-year-old can understand regarding such things. His eyes widened, and Remus and Kitty turned to see Cheery and Rumple exiting the house, directing plates, silverware, glasses, and the beginnings of the meal Cheery had been preparing. As things settled at the table, Remus picked Harry up and planted him in the chair with a magical seat cushion that grew or shrank depending upon how tall the person seated was.

"This is a silly chair," Harry said as it went up to make him a comfortable height. "I can't believe you let me sit at the table."

"Where else would you be, Harry?" Sirius inquired, sitting next to him. Remus and Kitty were on the other side of the rectangular table.

"Usually I ate in the garden or in my cupboard. That way, I didn't make a mess or block the telly." He said it so plainly, it made the adults uneasy. Kitty felt the tears already gathering behind her eyes.

"What cupboard, darling?" Kitty asked.

"The cupboard under the stairs," Harry explained. "That's where I sleep, where I used to sleep. Do you have a cupboard for me?"

"Fuck!" Sirius yelled, slamming the table and making the empty glasses fall over and the silverware jump.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be bad," Harry mumbled as he reached for his stuffed toy. Kitty was out of her chair and by his side in a breath.

"Harry, Luv, you weren't bad, Uncle Sirius was. We control our tempers at home, and use our words," she said pointedly while looking up at his reticent face. "How about we just eat our lunch and then have a bath. We can ask more questions about your time at the Dursley's later. Alright?" Kitty nodded her head at this.

"Uh, huh," Harry answered, nodding his head like hers. After another pointed look at Sirius over the top of the boy's head, Kitty returned to her seat. Not knowing what Harry would like to eat, Cheery made the favourites of the adults, as well as cheese sandwiches. Remus had always loved his mother's steak and kidney pie, and once Remus was living in the guest house, he shared the recipe with the elf. Sirius loved bangers and mash, something his mother never made because she thought it 'too lower class.' Euphemia Potter made an excellent dish, and Cheery replicated it as best she could. Kitty often ate much lighter than her male friends, her favourite was a delicate onion stew, and the delightful brown bread Cheery made daily. Harry, unsure what everything was, had a bit of everything.

Then horror struck.

As Rumple was bringing out the raspberry cream puffs, Harry turned a horrid shade of green-grey and vomited on the platter, Rumple, and Sirius. Everyone was so shocked that they didn't move immediately, and then Harry turned his head and was sick on the table.

"I don't think his tummy is used to such rich food," Remus hypothesized.

"You think?" Sirius said sarcastically as he was pulling his wand out to clean himself up and the rest of the mess. The platter was taken back into the kitchen; even with the vomit banished, everyone knew it had been there. Kitty took Harry from the table and sat with him on the lawn, rubbing his back and rocking him gently. Remus brought her the manor's potions kit and gave Harry half a dose of her stomach calming draught.

The rest of the day passed in periods of Harry acting like a somewhat normal five-year-old, precocious even, punctuated by moments of absolute terror on his part. The worst moments being when the medi-wizard, Dr Binoche, physically examined Harry. He was so frightened that he peed himself and then worried about Kitty's reaction to it. She simply waved her wand at him and then the carpet, and it wasn't discussed again. Harry smiled at her, not a whole smile, but a little half one like he was starting to understand Auntie Kitty was not like Aunt Petunia at all.

When they finally had Harry asleep, and Cheery was watching over him, the three adults sat down to discuss the findings from the examinations. Kitty's large dining room never felt so crowed as it did with the trio at the table and the dreaded report parchment sitting before them. Kitty didn't need to look at it again; one reading had been enough.

"We can start with me if that makes things easier," Sirius suggested, and the other two nodded.

"The potions you need aren't a problem," Kitty said. "What I don't already have in my kit I can have delivered here tomorrow, and as we use things in the manor's kit, the apothecary will automatically refill each night."

"How do you get such treatment?" Sirius asked.

"Really?" Kitty, eyebrows raised. "I'm rich. Throw enough money at something, and the problem goes away. Didn't your parents teach you anything about the power of gold?"

"No, Kitty," Sirius scoffed. "They were miserly or giving it to that idiot they called 'Lord.' My real father was an actual Lord and did good things with his money. Monty would have enjoyed going to the apothecary himself."

"Fee would have brewed everything herself," Remus countered. The three chuckled, knowing it was true.

"Okay, so potions are covered," Kitty said with a warm smile, thinking of the Potters. "A dentawizard will be here tomorrow, so your teeth will be cleared up, and you won't need that glamour on them."

"You can tell?"

"We can tell because we saw you when you first got here, Padfoot," Remus stated.

"Oh, yeah. Anything else?"

"You're going to need to see a specialist about the nerve damage," Kitty said quietly, reaching for his hand. "How many times did they use the Cruciatus Curse?"

Sirius ran his other hand through his hair. "I lost count after twenty-seven," he answered equally quietly. "That was the time I was knocked completely unconscious. After that, I hoped they'd succeed in making me mad or killing me." The trio was quiet for a long breath afterward.

"We're glad they didn't mate," Remus said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Harry will be glad as well."

"That he will be," Kitty joined in the lighter mood. "He already remembers you and loves Padfoot."

"What's not to love?" Sirius quired.

"The fleas," Remus answered drolly. The trio broke out laughing, and it felt good after the problematic conversation they'd been having.

"Do you want to talk about the other injuries? I know Michael worked to fix most of the poorly healed broken bones, but the internal injuries –"

"No, I can't talk about them, especially not with you, Katie," Sirius said, breaking Kitty's heart and making Remus resolve to speak with him when they could both drink themselves into oblivion afterward.

"Okay," she said in a nearly imperceptible voice, pulling her hand away. Sirius didn't dare look at her, knowing if he did, she would see right through him and confirm her fears. She wasn't stupid; she was better educated than any pureblood he'd ever met. She was also wise. Kitty had a knack for putting two and two together and producing an answer, which was more insightful than anyone wanted.

"What did Michael say about Harry?" Remus said to change the subject. Kitty had been the one to sit with him while Harry was examined. She'd not talked about what had happened, but while Harry rested before dinner, Remus had found her sobbing in the back garden.

"He had four broken bones which had never been healed correctly, Michael was able to fix them properly, but the Dursley family never intended him to be treated properly. There were several sets of wounds in different stages of healing from what looked like a man's belt, including one place where the buckle had punctured his skin. Michael didn't know how it wasn't infected. There were also two places where he had burns that had scarred over on Harry's little arms, which he fixed. He's only in the tenth percentile for weight and the fifteenth for height," Kitty reported even as her tears fell. "He should have been home with us."

"I know, Lady Katie, I know," Sirius said with regret. "What that rat –"

"It wasn't just his fault. We are both guilty here, Sirius. You should have kept that baby and brought him here the night James and Lily were murdered. That was our plan. You and Remus raising him would certainly have been better than…but I am most at fault. I left, even knowing my friends were in danger. I left my best friend at the mercy of those stupid, evil Death Eaters, and I will NEVER be able to make that up to Harry. We all made mistakes."

"Katie—"

"I told you not to call me that!" Kitty said weeping. "It was our private name when we were in love, or I thought we were in love. Looking back, I'm not sure I was whom you were in love with—"

"What are you talking about?" Sirius cried out. "I was here, living with you, talking about building a life and a family like James and Lily."

"How many times did you tell me you weren't a _family man_?" Kitty spat at him. Standing up explosively, she knocked her chair over. Remus, concerned about how loud the pair were becoming, erected a Silencing Charm around the room.

"Meeting Harry, loving him as his godfather changed me," Sirius exclaimed. "You were always the one who made me better, who got me, who I turned to. I was in love with you when we were in school; I just couldn't get you to see it."

"Dating Marlene for three years might have had something to do with that! Then she was killed, and you…" Kitty fled the room.

Sirius was confident he wouldn't be invited into her bedroom tonight, much less her bed. "Do you understand what happened here?" he asked Remus.

"Probably better than you, but I don't think it's my place to say too much. Just think about what she said, and it might give you some insight. As for Harry, I doubt he will sleep through the night. Want me to stay and help?"

"Nah, I'll go sleep in his room as Padfoot. Dogs are good to have around when you're frightened and can't sleep." Remus nodded, knowing there was much more than Sirius was saying, but today they'd been through enough.

Tonight would be for reflection. Tomorrow would come too early and bring with it new ordeals they couldn't even imagine now. No one slept well on the estate that night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This will be the last update for a while as I have broken two bones in my arm and I'm in a sling. As soon as I can type again, I will. I'm also not sorry about the cliffhanger. MNF**

**Chapter 7:**

**In Your Room**

The first week of Harry's new family living together was wonderful, scary, comfortable, confusing, warm, loving, and at times, the most challenging thing any of them had ever done. The strain between Kitty and Sirius was palpable, and meals sometimes forced affairs. One night it was so bad Remus had suggested Sirius move into the guest house with him; there were two spare bedrooms. Sirius refused on the grounds that he needed to be near his godson, regardless of the issues he had with Kitty.

Harry continued to vacillate between the darling, good-natured child he had been as a baby, and the near-catatonic little boy they met the first day. Dr Binoche had come twice since the initial visit, first to see how Harry's injuries were healing and second to work with Kitty on the documentation of what injuries could be corroborated. They'd agreed – although it was difficult to come to a consensus with Sirius' temper rearing its ugly head – that the legal system should be used. There would be a proper investigation through the Muggle Children's Services, but the Wizarding Children's Services department would be observing. Kitty had enough solicitors on retainer that she would make sure the Dursleys were punished for their crimes. Secretly she also hoped to save Harry's cousin from the damage his parents were inflicting on him. Overindulging a child could be as dangerous as ignoring one.

Tonight, Harry was having his magical bath in Kitty's bathroom. He liked to switch between Kitty's and Sirius' bathrooms – in hers, it was rainbow bubbles, in his, it was a shower of dancing water droplets and a self-scrubbing, pre-soaped sponge that occasionally burped blueberry smelling bubbles.

"Okay there, Luv, the bubbles are almost gone. Stand up, and I've got your warm towel right here," Kitty said brightly as she held up the hooded towel that looked like a dragon. She always put a warming charm on it before she wrapped him up. "You ready to be dried off?"

"Yup!" Harry chirped before Kitty set the spell, and the towel began wiggling all over his body and head. Harry giggled as Kitty sang a little "drying up" ditty she'd made up earlier in the week. When the towel stopped, Harry ran to his room to put on his clean jammies before running back into Kitty's room and leaping into her big bed. They'd recently begun reading one of James' favourite books from childhood, _Treasure Island. _The adults were surprised by the depth of Harry's reading knowledge, and his ability to sound out words at only four. Granted, his parents were more than bright, and they'd read to him from the moment he was born; but they were sure his three years with his aunt and uncle would have stunted him. He explained that he was able to have Dudley's books, as his cousin never opened them.

Harry snuggled under the duvet and waited while Kitty gathered the book from her dresser and joined him in bed. She opened the book to where they'd left off the night before, and Harry read the words he could, sounded out many of those that were left, and let Kitty read the tough ones. The sound of uneven footsteps across the carpeted floor alerted the pair they soon wouldn't be alone.

"You started without me?" Sirius said as he entered the room. His gait was uneven as he still had a stasis bubble around his left foot. In an effort to repair his poorly healed broken ankle, a tendon had been put under stress and had ruptured. Dr Binoche fixed it quickly, but to fully recover, it needed to be immobile. Sirius had been given the choice of staying in bed for a week or two weeks with the stasis charm on him. After three days, he was regretting his decision. Kitty helped by levitating him into the bed and then levitated a throw to him. Sirius tipped his head in thanks.

"You were late," Harry replied, very plainly. "I needed to know what happened next."

"Your reading is excellent, Harry. Prongs would be proud," his godfather said, leaning to kiss his crown.

"_Both_ your Mummy and Daddy would be proud. When we're done with this book, maybe we can read something Lily enjoyed while growing up," Kitty suggested.

"Okay," Harry answered. "Will I still get stories about Mummy and Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart, you always will. Your uncles and I have lots of them." Harry nodded, and they returned to reading. Kitty and Sirius took turns helping Harry with difficult words or explaining what they meant until the end of the chapter.

"Tonight, I want a daddy story," Harry said, "and I want Auntie Kitty to tell it." The previous day Remus had stayed for reading time, and they had each told Harry about their first encounter with Lily. Kitty smiled at Harry's request.

"How about the first memory I have of your Daddy and Uncle Sirius?" Kitty asked, and Harry clapped his hands in excitement. "Let's see. We were all about five and at some summer party for someone. I had on a beautiful, very fluffy pink dress. I was outside playing dollies with Cissy and Dromy Black, your uncle's cousins when James came out with Sirius. They were pushing and shoving each other –"

"They were fighting?" Harry interjected, quite concerned.

"No, Harry, we never fought; it was play. We wanted to see who could stay upright the longest."

"Oh, okay. I don't like fighting." Sirius wrapped his arm around the boy.

"None of us do, Harry, but you're safe here, and we don't fight at our home."

"Uncle Sirius is absolutely right; we don't fight with people we love. So, your daddy was ruff housing with Uncle Sirius when he fell in the mud. It was all over his trousers, his waistcoat, his shirt, his shoes, his robes – he was a mess! Jamie then proceeded to knock Uncle Sirius into the mud too. It was so gross. Then do you know what your dad did?"

"Get it in his hair?" Harry suggested.

"Trust me, Harry, it was already in there," Sirius responded.

"No, he took his muddy hands and with his fingers stuck out wide," Kitty said and acted out this part. "He put them on my pink dress, right on the flowery skirt. I was so upset I started to cry, but I didn't want my Mummy to know because I thought my dress was ruined. Then, your grandmum, who Dromy went to get, came out of the house and cleaned me up. I always liked Mummy Fee."

"Because she never scolded you, not like the scolding Jamie and I had that day. Plus, she didn't let us have any pudding," Sirius added. They were both quiet for a moment. Sirius looked down and saw the drowsy look to Harry's face, and he went on. "It's hard to believe he's gone, you know. He was always there, just like you were. The three of us, just children who had no idea what the world was going through, living this idyllic life."

"I miss them too," Kitty said. "Sometimes I just stop, stand still remembering, and I'm overwhelmed by it. I ache from missing them. All of them, really. Even Peter, the boy Peter we knew at school. He was always funny and cracking bad puns."

"How much money does a pirate pay for corn?" Sirius asked with a wide grin already on his face.

"I don't know how much does a pirate pay for corn?" Kitty replied with a chuckle, already knowing the answer.

"A buccaneer!" Sirius said happily, and they both laughed. "Pete might be a rat now, but he was a good mate back then."

"He was. He always knew how to get a smile out of me. He'd tell me puns or worse, dirty jokes until I smiled," Kitty said. "I can't believe Betty is gone too. Wasn't the war that killed her, but a stupid Muggle bus hitting her car. She was so easy to get along with."

"Yeah, and the only girl that Remus ever went with for more than a month. His furry little problem never bothered her," Sirius added. "Then there was Marlene. She was a firecracker. I don't know that I'll ever meet someone so fearless again."

The mere mention of Marlene McKinnon made Kitty pause. She was a good friend, and like all her roommates, they became her family. Marlene's dating Sirius, however, changed their relationship. Kitty knew it was hard to understand what their shared childhood meant to Kitty, Sirius, and Jamie. Marlene always thought they were whispering secrets about her or others who weren't pureblood when in reality, they were usually talking about something mundane like other families gossip or what one of Sirius' dumb relatives had done now. The three of them were peas in a pod. In childhood, whenever Kitty's family returned to the UK, they were together. Marlene, it seemed, was ashamed of her half-blood status. She wanted to be like the trio, and they, in turn, couldn't have cared less about their pureblood.

To make things easier on Marlene, Kitty drew back from her relationship with Sirius. Sure, they still all sat together at lunch. Still, there was less of Sirius and Kitty sitting in windowsills and talking between classes or his holding her hand as she read letters from Mum indicating her parents' indifference to Voldemort's rise. Marlene went so far as to blame Kitty for her breakup with Sirius when it was his fear of commitment. After James proposed to Lily in their seventh year, Marlene began dropping hints that they'd been together for nearly two years, unlike the mere six months James and Lily had been together. Marlene believed she and Sirius should do the same. There was more than a year between their breakup and Kitty agreeing to snog him. That was indeed the only difference since she was always with the group when not at work. At the time of her death, Kitty and Sirius were estranged from their friend, although to differing degrees. Marlene tolerated Sirius' presence; she talked to Kitty.

Sirius noticed Kitty's change in mood the minute he mentioned Marlene. He'd been looking for a moment when her name could be dropped into a conversation and was glad to have finally found one. He desperately needed to know what it was about Marlene's death that had driven her away. "Katia," he whispered, "tell me what's going through your head. I saw you tense at her name."

"It's not Marlene…not really. It was what happened the day she died," Kitty said softly. "Me and you and…" she just sighed.

"Please, tell me. I don't understand," Sirius gently begged. Kitty looked down to make sure Harry was as soundly sleeping as she suspected. Since he was, she resigned herself to having this painful conversation.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" she asked. Sirius nodded in the affirmative. "Fine then." Kitty scooted her hands under her thighs to keep from reaching out to touch him. It was going to be excruciating to have this conversation. Since seeing him again, she felt as raw as she did that morning when she ran from England.

"You came home to tell me she was killed. I was still in bed, remember this bed. You'd been out on night patrol with Remus. It was like a noose tightening on us in those days. Lily and I had just talked about how lucky we'd been, avoiding death. James had been cocky enough to suggest it was because we were so talented. Lily and I knew better. There was no way we'd all make it out of the war alive.

"I knew it was awful news when you came in. Sirius, you never look shaken, and you were just," she sighed, hoping to find the words she needed. "It was the first time I'd seen you broken. You told me about Marlene and her family. We held each other and cried, and then you became just inconsolable."

"I was –"

"Please, let me get it out. I've been dreading telling you this for years," she pleaded, and he allowed her to continue. "You sobbed and sobbed. I could do nothing for you. You didn't even want me to touch you. You recoiled from me. It hurt. When you'd fallen asleep, I went to Lily and told her what happened. She tried to tell me it was just because she'd once been vital to you, and you'd never been able to help her heal and be friends again. I wasn't sure.

"While I was there, I resigned myself to going to my parents' home for a few days. I needed to figure out what I was feeling; there was this tiny part of me that was happy the tension that was always created when we were together was gone; that made me feel guilty too. Jamie came back with me because he knew you'd need a mate. I explained to you I was going to see Mum and Dad and think, but you became enraged. Jamie had to hold you back so I could Floo to their house." Kitty was quiet, and the tears she'd been fighting began to cascade down her cheeks.

"I never had any intention to break up with you," she said, turning to face him for the first time. "I just needed to grieve and sort out what I was feeling. It was while I was there that I was told of my next mission, and I was off to Russia again. When James and Lily showed up there…" She searched his face, attempting to find where he was emotionally. Sirius only looked stunned. Kitty turned away, pulled her hands from beneath her legs, and covered her face with them, and began to sob.

"When they showed up in Russia," she said between ragged breaths, "my world imploded."

"Oh, my Lady Katie, I wish you'd told me what you were thinking," Sirius said as he too was crying. "There's so much I never told you about Marlene and the day after."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hi, thanks for being patient. My arm is healing, but I can only type about 250 words in a stretch. It's hard to do with one hand. Here is the next chapter, and yes it's shorter than normal. Sorry. I have been reading the reviews and I will respond to them. Please keep them coming, I enjoy knowing someone is reading this. I promise more Harry time coming up. This story won a BIG prize at the Sink Into Your Eyes website for being the best new story of 2019. I'm thrilled. Enjoy, and don't throw too much at me when you get to the end. WARNING: Sexual Assault is hinted at in this chapter.**

**Chapter 8:**

**Walking in My Shoes**

Before Sirius began his tale, he lifted Harry and, with his unsteady gait, carried his godson to bed. The door which joined Kitty's room to Harry's was left partially open so that the little boy could find her in the night, should he awaken. The man then settled himself onto 'his side' of the bed, much closer to Kitty now that the toddler was gone and started talking. "Please let me tell you everything before you ask your questions." Kitty was already emotionally spent, so she just nodded and let him begin.

Kitty listens quietly as Sirius tells her about the secret he'd been carrying since the night Marlene died. He'd never had a chance to tell anyone else; the lives of the Marauders and their female friends had begun to fly apart so quickly after her death. When Sirius was through, Kitty felt hollow and ill. "Why didn't she ever tell us?"

"I doubt she wanted any of us to know," Sirius confessed. "Had I not been the one on duty at the Ministry when she came back to the office that night, I don't think anyone would have known." Marlene was in training as a magical barrister. Sirius had gone through Auror training with James and Kitty, though he had chosen to join the Hit Squad instead. It had made his arrest by his boss all that more upsetting. His co-workers knew him, and yet they'd believed Sirius had murdered his best friend.

"Did she know who had done this to her?" Kitty asked.

"Officially, she said no; the look on her face said that she did. She never spoke of that night again, at least not until she came to see me the week before her murder. She wasn't sure what to do about the baby, and I was the only person who knew anything about it."

"I can't believe she never told Lily, Betty, or me. We wouldn't have blamed her or –"

"Katie, she was embarrassed. Someone was able to overpower her, and she was the strongest of you girls."

"Who knew that compact body of hers was coiled like a spring?" she wistfully asked the cosmos. "Do you think she was going to keep the baby?" Kitty shifted so she could look at Sirius and took his hand.

"I don't think Marlene knew what she was going to do," he whispered. "She'd always wanted kids, but a child created by an assault. No one dreams of **that** baby."

The pair sat together, her left knee touching his right, their hands entwined. Kitty soaked in the tale, and Sirius worked to bury it. It was long moments before he found the strength to speak again. "When she died, I knew they were both gone, and it ate at me that a baby suffered such a horrible fate as the Cruciatus Curse."

"Sirius—"

"Please, Katie, let me finish." Kitty gripped his hand tighter and nodded. "I came home, and you were safe, and, at that moment, I realised I wanted a life with you. I wanted to marry you, have children with you, grow old with you. I would have proposed if my news hadn't been so grave." He paused to steady his voice and wipe an unshed tear from his eye. "You clung to me and wept, and I knew why. Then, like a Stinging Hex, it hit me that I could lose you and our potential baby just like Marlene, and I couldn't imagine. The darkness that swallowed me was wretched. Your love has always surrounded me; living without you, I would have been hell."

By now, Kitty was crying. Tears tumbled down her cheeks for the emotions she'd misconstrued in her lover. They were shed for a baby she'd never come to know, and she cried for the years she'd wasted being convinced Sirius no longer cared for her. She crawled into his lap, careful of the spells on his ankle, and clung to him.

No more words were said that night, and the pair eventually slid down and settled into an exhausted, comfortable slumber in the arms of the one they still loved.

"Auntie Kitty," a little voice said from the doorway. "Uncle Sirius. Why did you get to have a sleepover, but I was in my bed?" Sirius was the first to awaken, his hearing much sharper due to his dog Animagus. He gently shifted Kitty's head off his chest and then slipped out of bed, reaching for his godson's hand.

"Auntie Kitty and I were talking last night and just fell asleep in her room. You were snoring so loudly that we couldn't hear each other, so I put you in your bed," Sirius teased as they headed back toward his room so Harry could use the loo.

"I don't snore!"

"How do you know?"

"I know because if I snored at night, it would have made noise, and I couldn't make noise when I was in my cupboard, or Uncle Vernon would beat me with his belt," Harry said it so easily it stopped Sirius suddenly. Even as bad as his parents had treated him, he'd never been beaten for snoring.

"Why don't you go into my loo and take a piss, Harry?"

"I already went," he replied. "Auntie Kitty says piss is a rude word, and I should say pee instead. It's better manners."

"Auntie Kitty is usually right about things, especially manners."

"Good, I like Auntie Kitty's manners."

"Oh, and why is that?" Sirius asked, shaking off his earlier discontent and kneeling to his godson's height.

"Because when I used Auntie Kitty's manners, it makes sure that you will keep me and not send me back."

"Harry, you could eat off the floor or not take a bath for a month, and we would never send you back. Along with your Uncle Remus, we are your family, and we love you no matter what." Sirius opened his arms, and after a reluctant minute, Harry walked into the hug. "Now, why don't you go into your room and get dressed for the day and then walk to Uncle Remus' place and tell him I am making my crazy French Toast for breakfast."

"What makes it Crazy?" Harry had made French Toast for Uncle Vernon and Dudley before.

"You'll have to wait and see. Now go get some clothes on." Harry took off running, his preferred mode of travel around their home. He dressed in a flash in an outfit of his choosing. Harry had only ever worn his cousin's cast-offs, so finding he had clothes in different colours and that fit him was a wonderous revelation. He decided to wear green shorts today; these ones had little blue whales on them and a bright orange tee shirt with a boat on it. He even put his shoes on – they had Velcro closures so he could do them himself – although he put them on the wrong feet. Dressed how he liked, he took off running again, this time to the end of their home.

From the unique side door only accessible from Kitty's 'apartment' within the house, Harry could slide to the walkway, which led to Remus' guest house. It was all hid from the public's view, and Harry thought it was great when his uncles showed it to him. Adults preferred to use the stairs off the rear balcony.

Sirius had gone to his bathroom, cleaned up from Harry using it, and then went about his morning routine quickly. Magic hastened everything along, and soon he was walking as quietly as he could back into Kitty's bedroom. Kitty had pulled his pillow to her chest, her head resting upon it just as she'd used his chest overnight. He sat down on the bed and brushed the hair away from her forehead so he could kiss her. It was how he used to wake her up, back when she loved him.

Kitty stirred, throwing her arm up to cover her face and swatted Sirius' head with her hand. His sharp outburst and her contacting something solid quickly roused her. "Sorry," she muttered.

"No harm was done, Luv, I have a sturdy head," he proclaimed.

"Some might call it thick."

"Haha. Come on, get up, I'm making Crazy French Toast."

"You aren't seriously going to serve that over-sugared mess to our godson, are you?" Kitty sat up with a sigh.

"I'm always Sirius, and I absolutely am."

"Well then, you can spend the day with his hyped-up antics. I need to go into the Ministry anyway."

"Why?"

"Not sure, but it must be important if they've asked me to come in. I'm on a year-long sabbatical."

"Kitty, it's only been a few weeks, they can't expect you to –"

"Oh, they can, Sirius. I'm still a spy. There are still places that I can get into better than anyone else in the Ministry," Kitty said, annoyed.

"Like where?" Kitty looked closely, swearing he had just rolled his eyes.

"The Russian Magical Court. We might have given up our royal court a millennia ago, but the Russians have not. I still heard rumours even in New Zealand about the goings-on there."

"You heard about the Russians but not any news from home!" he yelled. In response, Kitty took her wand from the nightstand and put a Silencing Charm around them.

"Yes, I heard about all sorts of places. My handler was excellent about keeping me informed if needed. I did not hear anything about the goings-on at home because I asked to be kept in the dark. I didn't want to know anything from here."

"Your not knowing caused a lot of pain." Sirius spit the words at her with force and veracity." Kitty seemed to wilt before him at the words, and the fire which had burned in her eyes was suddenly snuffed.

"Believe me; I know what damage I caused. I know that most of my friends are dead because I set into motion events I couldn't have imagined. I am weighed down by my penitence." She sat back down on the bed and turned her head so he wouldn't see her tears.

"I didn't mean it like that," Sirius said softly as he rounded the bed to sit beside her. Her silence was louder than the roar of his bike and too silent for his comfort. He took her hand. "Katie, we both made mistakes. We all made mistakes," he said, Peter being made secret-keeper being foremost in his mind. "We need each other to heal. Didn't last night prove anything to you?"

"Yes, but," she hesitated, "there are still huge obstacles to us ever being what we once were. I don't even know if I can be that person again. I don't trust you, not fully. I know you love Harry, and I agree you should be here with him. He needs you and me to help him heal and grow up. That said, I'm not sure it will ever lead to an us."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I know, it has been a while, but I had the Covid19 and I was sick for 7 weeks. I'm in lockdown now until at least July maybe August because my lungs are so weak. I haven't even been able to sit up long enough to write. This chapter was started before I got sick and I finished it this week. It hasn't been beta'ed so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy. MNF**

**Chapter 9:**

**Master and Servant**

By the time Kitty was ready for the day, the kitchen was a mess. Sirius' Crazy French Toast wasn't like conventional Eggy-Bread; nothing at all like the cinnamon laden slices of bread drenched in eggs and fried that she loved. No, Crazy French Bread started out conventionally enough, but it was then overloaded with berries, chocolate chips, treacle, caramel syrup, whipped cream and the newest addition of dinosaur sprinkles. Kitty wasn't sure what to make of the sight before her.

Cheery was standing on a stool, her arms crossed in front of her, staring at Sirius and giving him a powerful glare. Sirius was trying very hard not to laugh in her face. Harry was covered from head to waist in goop of some sort, the general colour was a light-brownish shade and in places, lumpy. Remus was looking sheepishly at her. She was thankful to see a clean spot that had two plain slices on a tidy plate near the stovetop and a small bowl of berries on the counter close by.

"Crazy bread is so good!" Harry muttered with his mouth half-full. "Uncle Sirius needs to cook more."

"That is doubtful," Cheery said under her breath. Kitty did laugh at her.

"Harry, Sirius can cook on special occasions, but for the rest of the time, how about having Cheery doing it?"

"Okay," he chirped happily. Cheery disappeared, most likely going to complain to Rumple. Kitty dove into her breakfast with gusto, going so far as to cool the coffee enough to drink it straight from the pot.

"Here, darling, have a seat," Sirius said pulling out a chair that was dolloped with cream and caramel.

"Thanks, but no. Please take it for yourself," Kitty replied, even as she gently bumped Sirius and he fell into the seat, the cream mixture splatting beneath his bum.

"You are so going to pay for that," he replied with a wink.

"Not right now, I'm not. I need to get into the Ministry." Sirius' happy face softened and then disappeared. "I know you don't want me to go, but I was called in and I have to go. I am going to use my time to my advantage and speak with Minerva and Arthur Weasley about Thursday. I'm stopping at the Longbottom place on my way home."

"Excellent idea, Kitty," Remus said. He had begun cleaning up Harry now that he'd finished breakfast.

"What's Fursday?" Harry asked with a slight lisp caused by the cleaning charm from Remus' wand.

"It's your birthday, Harry. You're going to be five!" Sirius said, quietly saying the charm to remove the gunk from his pyjama bottoms.

"Oh," Harry said plainly. "Can we play trains?"

"Of course, Harry," Remus replied. "Aren't you excited for your birthday? We're having a party!"

"I've never had a birthday. Whenever Dudley had his party, I was sent to Mrs. Figg's house. She gave me sandwiches and milk when I went there." The indifferent way Harry announced this unnerved the adults. Kitty was torn, but she needed to leave. Harry would be fine with Sirius and Remus, she attempted to convince herself.

"Maybe the three of you can discuss this while I'm gone today, and we can discuss your plans over dinner tonight?" Kitty said as the last of her breakfast was swallowed. Sirius rose to walk her to the doorway off the side of the house.

"I don't like you going into the Ministry. Albus and others are liable to accost you; and there will be press!" Sirius attempted to sway her to not going.

"The press would be foolish to approach me, and even if they do, I have no comment. As for Albus, he will undoubtedly approach me, and I have some fine words for him. I will save my best for your trial. Sirius, you don't need to protect me; I'm capable of dealing with all of this on my own.I must do this, but I'll come home. Perhaps I will have news about your hearing. Please, don't worry. Amelia and Minerva will be there with me. I'm not being roped into working anytime soon." Sirius stared intently at her before he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I'll be here when you get home. I want to hear everything."

"Fine, you silly, overprotective man. I am an Auror and a spy. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Sirius said softly. "But the most precious people in my world are in this room. I can't lose another one of you." Kitty put her hand on his cheek.

"You won't, I promise."

"Good," Sirius said, taking her hand from his face and kissing her fingertips. "By the way, you look amazing. Very fierce."

"I know, that's the point." Kitty answered before pulling her hand free and walking out the door to Disapparate.

There were several places fine robes could be purchased within the UK. Kitty didn't often shop at them. Her regulation work robes – the dark grey monstrosity she wore when the entirety of the Security Department was deployed—had been purchased domestically at _Tadfit and Twinnings_. The durable uniform robes for drills and mandatory practices with the rest of the Aurors were purchased from Madame Malkin. But when Kitty was dressing for herself, she did not shop domestically. The ruby red robes she was wearing today were from Paris and the cut was modest, but dramatic. Kitty had purchased them with the express intent of making a statement when she walked into a room. She thought she'd be wearing them for Sirius' trial; she wasn't expecting to have a performance of her own to deal with. The three-inch, red, peep-toe court shoes she added made her even more impressive.

When she entered the corral of desks in the office, it was apparent whatever was going on had everyone on edge. Moments after her arrival Amelia Bones came to her and laced her arm through Kitty's.

"What is going on?" Kitty asked, witnessing the almost frenetic movement of her co-workers and the buzz of conversation upon conversation gave the room a beehive like quality.

"Intelligence from somewhere on the eastern continent," Amelia said. Kitty only hummed in response. Her eyes were set on the man coming to speak with her. With a deep breath she straightened her spine and lifted her head high.

"Miss Fawley, or perhaps you go by the more modern Ms now?" Albus asked in greeting.

"I'm rather traditional in that manner, Albus," Kitty replied unenthusiastically. "I always have been."

"How is young Harry and your boyfriend?" Albus asked dourly. He was not happy at how Kitty had physically altered by his presence. Everyone who knew Kitty was aware the icy exterior she wore masked a warm, loving person; Albus had never encountered it directed at him.

"Harry is doing wonderfully," she replied. "He's flourishing around his family. Sirius isn't my boyfriend, but he's recovering as well. What he endured in Azkaban was inhumane."

"He's not? Then why did you –"

"You aren't really going to pose that question, are you?" Kitty asked incredulously and shook her head. Amelia held her arm tighter, providing her friend emotional strength, Kitty was not in need. "Regardless of our current relationship status, Sirius and I have known each other most of our lives. I freed Sirius and arranged a trial for him because no one in their right mind would have suspected him in the first place. Sirius loved James, Lily and Harry far too much to have ever done anything to hurt them. His devotion was never something he hid. As are his political leanings. That is something I was certain you were aware of."

"Remus suspected him," Albus feebly offered.

"Remus was in shock when you spoke with him," Kitty coldly said back.

"How would you know this? You were away." Albus addressed her coldly.

"They both gave me their memories of those days. You immediately ran to Remus after Sirius' arrest and accosted him in his broken-hearted delirium. He lost everyone who had promised to help him survive in the magical world. Our happy little family of friends was gone from his life. So was Harry, who should have rightly stayed with him, but the Wizarding World considers dear, sweet Remus a threat. That man relocates spiders outside rather than kill them; what in the Godesses dear name would he do to a child he considered his blood?"

"Kitty, you must understand that we had to keep Harry safe –" Albus began again.

"Safe? Safe, is that what you called where you left him? Those Muggles starved, beat, tortured and emotionally abused Harry. I don't even know where to begin unravelling the lies he was told. They had him believing his father was a drunk who killed himself and Lily in an automobile accident. They told him that he was a freak. They told him magic wasn't real! James Potter will always remain as one of the best men I ever knew, and Lily was a remarkable witch and human being. I can only hope to make Harry understand a bit of who they are."

"I would like to see Harry," Dumbledore asked. Kitty stood stock still, her blue eyes turning to ice as he gazed upon her. "Please?"

Kitty pulled her arm free of Amelia's and took two steps forward, now forehead to forehead with Albus. She tipped her head slightly and leaned in toward his ear. "The next time we meet, you will call me Lady Fawley and you will see Harry when he comes to Hogwarts."

Albus was stunned. Even former students who were followers of Voldemort did not require him to call them by their formal titles. He supposed it was something that she didn't ask for Princess Ekaterina. How was she going to keep him away from Harry until Hogwarts? There was so much that Harry needed to know, to learn. He had to be ready to face Tom when he came back, and he would come back. The headmaster went to say something to Kitty, when he realized he was alone; Kitty and Amelia had gone to sit down. They were on either side of Kingsley Shaklebolt. He needed the trio of them on his side for the war that would inevitably come. He sat down not far from where he was standing, wondering how he would right the situation. The Minister for Magic began the meeting shortly thereafter.

When the meeting broke up, Kitty was stunned silent.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Kingsley asked.

"No, I have someone in mind who can move among that circle with greater ease than you," she said softly. "There aren't many with skin as deeply hued as yours there."

"I suppose not," Kingsley said with a half-smile. "What can I do for you instead?"

"Help me get Sirius' trial over. He can't leave the country with me unless he's cleared."

"It's on the calendar for Friday. Anything else?" Kitty looked at the people she worked with and smiled. "Show up for Harry's party on Thursday, say seven?" The pair agreed. "Apparate into the back garden. Oh, let me go and catch Arthur Weasley. I'm hoping he'll bring his youngsters over?"

"Be prepared," Amelia said, "they're quite the handful."

"I have Sirius at my house. How much worse can it get?" Amelia and Kingsley looked at each other as Kitty walked away, and then broke out laughing.

Kitty moved through the Ministry mostly ignoring the pointing fingers and whispers directed at her. She more easily ignored the looks from the men ogling her physique in her red robes. Unfortunately for her, Kitty was unaware of the cold stare she received from Cornelius Fudge.

The man had never liked Kitty's father, thought he was too confident and somewhat arrogant. As a young man, Cornelius wanted to be a diplomat, but Wallace Fawley had thwarted him at every turn. Wallace said the younger man lacked the ability to be impartial, said he was easily influenced by money, power and popularity. Cornelius finally settled for a career in the Magical Law Enforcement. He hated when Fawley's daughter came along and not only aced her way through Auror training but became an important international spy for the Ministry. Cornelius Fudge watched Kitty from the upper balcony, wishing she'd fall and hurt herself. Of course, she was too graceful for that.

Cornelius had finally gotten himself on the right side of politics. He was finally in the limelight and making important connections. He would not let the Fawley family get in his way.

Later that night, Harry had his shower and Uncle Remus read him his story while Kitty and Sirius sat on the balcony discussing the day's events.

"You're sure you want me to be the one to go with you?" Sirius asked, longing to hold Kitty while they talked about this. "Wouldn't another Auror be better? My magic is wonky still."

"I don't anticipate us needing to do much magic," Kitty replied. "I'm there to greet my family members who still loiter at the Russian court and I need to make nice with the Queen and her consort. I also need to keep my ears open. If I bring you with me, it's a second set of ears and your uncanny ability to charm women into telling you things their husbands don't want made public. There will inevitably be at least one ball, and your ability to dance is delightful."

"I'm going to need suitable clothing."

"That is what our stop in Paris is for. I need clothing too. I wore my one set of power robes today. I need something for Friday, which means I'll not only have to shop in the UK, but I will need to buy off the rack."

"You really are a rich bitch, Lady Katie."

"Thank you. I take that as a compliment." For the first time since she'd returned home from the Ministry, Sirius saw Kitty genuinely smile. He returned it ten-fold.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Boys Say Go

"Are you worried that he's only playing with Neville and Ginny?" Remus asked Kitty as they sat with most of the adults under the pergola. Harry and his two little friends were in the sandbox, playing quietly. Harry had even built a special little chair of sand for Ginny's dolly, Hecate.

"First, look at the Weasley boys and Sirius," Kitty replied. Sirius was Padfoot, and they were playing a massive game of tag. The boys were muddy, which had mortified Kitty until Arthur Weasley had admitted it was normal for them. "Harry's only experience of boys was his cousin, and I think the Weasleys remind our boy of him. Neville is much calmer, and Ginny has latched herself onto Harry and decided not to let go. I don't know how he felt about the storybook that was all about him."

"I think we should put that away," Remus admitted. "It's well below his reading level, and he has enough nightmares, I don't want to give him more." He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "We are doing what's best for him, aren't we? Maybe he needed to be in a home like the Weasleys, with lots of other children—"

"And a fair bit of hero-worship and tales he isn't ready to know?" Kitty interrupted. "I don't believe that would have helped him at all. We'd end up with a child who was spoiled and has an ego the size of Buckingham Castle. No, I think James and Lily knew what they were doing in wanting Sirius and me to raise him. I suspect they thought he'd be part of a family with us…"

It was the first time Remus had heard her speak wistfully about the past and possibly the future with Sirius. He'd heard them argue and had listened to Sirius rant about Kitty being so stubborn about things, but he'd not heard her mention their past at all. He knew there had been a clearing of the air at one point, but the relationship hadn't moved beyond a tepid friendship and a sometimes-uncomfortable denouement of hostilities.

Before he could ask more, Amelia and Kingsley arrived together, followed quickly by Minerva McGonagall. He was surprised to see the trio, thinking this was just to be a children's party. Neville's uncle hadn't chosen to stay, so it was just the trio of Harry's 'parents' and Arthur. The later had sworn he'd never leave his whole brood here without supervision. It was a good thing too, as the twins began to get up to something involving a full bucket of water and some collected dung from the sheep barn.

"What a pleasant surprise," Remus said, rising to greet Minerva with a kiss on her cheek. "You didn't say you were coming over when I spoke with you this morning."

"Well, there was company in my quarters when you Floo-called who was not invited to be part of the celebration. He would not have been welcomed if he had chosen to 'drop-in,'" Minerva explained. "Anyway, there are not enough true surprises in life, so I believe we should make the most of pleasant ones."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Remus said as he pulled a chair out for her to sit in, then angling the umbrella so she would be kept in the shade.

"Minnie!" A booming voice yelled just before a mud-caked, grass-stained, muck-of-a-mess Sirius stepped onto the porch, followed as if he were the mother duck by six equally sloppy Weasley boys.

"Sirius Black, if you come one step closer to me looking like that, I will put you into detention again!" Minerva stated with a firmness that maked Bill Wesley snap to attention.

"I'm not a student anymore, haven't been in a long time," Sirius said with laughter.

"I'm quite certain a place this old," she said, waving her hand at the centuries-old mansion, "has a dungeon Kitty will let me put you in for a few hours." Everyone laughed, and Kitty nodded. "Go on, then, you made those gents a mess, they're your responsibility to clean up." Sirius looked at her, and then at Kitty for some help.

"Your wand, Sirius. Use your wand," Kitty prompted.

"Forgot I had one again," he said softly, and she smiled softly at him and nodded. The muddy ducklings followed him to the close side of the garden and he quickly had them all cleaned up. In the meantime, the slightly sandy trio came over to greet the new guests. Harry first looked at Kingsley a bit frightened, but Neville came right up to him and offered his hand.

"Hello, I'm Neville. I think you know my Great-Uncle Algie."

"I do, we like to go fishing together," Kingsley said, shaking the little boy's hand. "It's very nice to meet you. Can you introduce me to your friends?"

"This is Harry; it's his birthday today!" Neville said softly but with excitement, "and this is Ginny and her dolly, Heca-something."

"Hecate," Ginny corrected him. "She is a very famous witch. I'm going to be a famous witch too," she said to Neville, and the adults stifled their chuckles. "Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Ginny, I could have picked you out in a crowd as a Weasley, since you are the spitting image of your daddy."

"My little gingersnap is," Arthur said, picking her up and plopping her on his shoulders. Kitty had gotten up and came to stand next to Harry, hoping to quell some of the fear she saw in his face and body.

"Harry, this man is a friend of mine," she began. "His name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, but you can call him King because it's easier. It's what I call him at work."

"Hello, Mr. King," Harry said meekly, presenting his hand to shake the man's hand. "Thank you for coming to my birthday."

"I was honored when Kitty asked me. I like your elf's cooking."

"You know Cheery?" Harry asked, eyes wide and smiling. "She's the best cook, except for when Sirius makes Crazy French Toast."

"I agree, although Sirius hasn't ever cooked for me, so I'm not sure what Crazy French Toast is," Kingsley replied with an open face.

"You do not want to know," Remus interjected from the other end of the table.

"Well, that's the last time I make you breakfast," Sirius grumbled as he returned with the Weasleys.

"Promise, Padfoot?" Remus asked hopefully, and there was laughter from all.

"Sirius, Arthur, why don't you get the children settled at the other table so that we can have tea and cake?" Wisely, Kitty had chosen to put the 'children's table' on the lawn, so any mess they might make could just be washed away or left for any number of creatures that roamed her property.

"Auntie Kitty, can I sit with you, please?" Harry asked after grabbing her hand. Kitty was expecting this and wasn't surprised. Harry didn't do well apart from his new family yet.

"Would you like Neville and Ginny to come to sit with us as well?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, go see Uncle Remus get the sand removed from your hands and faces while I make two more special chairs for your friends." Kitty quickly transfigured two of the extra porch chairs and set them between willing adults. Someone would need to cut their food for them.

"Ginny should sit next to me," Harry said to Remus. "She was the first one to wish me a Happy Birthday and give me a hug."

"Okay, Harry," he replied. They sat Remus, Ginny, Harry, Kitty, Neville, and Sirius, with the other four adults rounding out the table. Arthur had left his oldest two in charge of the table, going so far as to put a Sticking Charm on the twins. They were on opposite sides of the table and opposing ends.

Cheery levitated a cake in the shape of a sailboat out to Harry, who wasn't sure what to do. Before she could answer, a little voice piped up.

"Blow out the candles, Harry," Ginny said, "unless you need help. Neville and I can help."

"I think Harry can do this for himself," Remus said before Harry blew out the blue candles stuck into the little round windows of the ship. The cake was chocolate—something Harry discovered he loved—with a raspberry filling and thick, homemade icing. He needed two glasses of milk to wash it down. When tea was finished, the Weasleys left, but they'd invited Harry to celebrate with Ginny on her birthday. It wasn't long until Neville's uncle showed up, and it was just the grown-ups and Harry, who asked if he could take a nap. Remus took him up to his bedroom, cleaned him up, and let him rest. Rumple said he would keep an eye on his boy while he napped. Kitty loved that her elves had so taken to caring for him.

"Well, now that we're all seated and alone, how do things look for tomorrow?" Minerva asked. Sirius' trial was something she'd been working toward for years, even to the Ministry and Albus's consternation.

"Brilliant," Sirius said. "I don't want to know how much gold Kitty has spent or how many favors she and her father have used, but they've destroyed the entirety of the 'evidence' which was used. It does not look suitable for Albus or Cornelius."

"I've calculated the restitution," Amelia said, which was part of her responsibilities in the Magical Law Enforcement offices. Each time a Death Eater was caught, it was up to her to make restitution to those they had hurt and then freeze their accounts for the length of their incarceration. Figuring out what the Ministry would owe Sirius was quite fun. "It's quite a sum, based on our currently adopted guidelines."

"I feel bad taking the money—" Sirius began.

"If you say that one more time, I'm going to put you in the dungeon," Kitty interjected. "You were wronged. You lost years of your life, and Harry suffered because of it. The Ministry owes you every penny, as do Albus and Fudge." The vitriol in her voice at the last sentence wasn't lost of those around her.

"You really don't like Fudge, do you," King stated, and Kitty lifted a shoulder.

"Honestly, I don't know him that well. I just remember the annoyance he was to my father."

"What did he do?" Minerva asked.

"He believed, quite wrongly if my Papa is to be believed, that he was Diplomatic Core material. Unfortunately, he's hot-headed and doesn't seem to think things through before acting on them. When I was made a Spook, he believed I'd taken his spot and only obtained my job through my name and relationships. I have never believed in nepotism."

"She worked twice as hard as anyone in our class," Sirius said. "James and I wouldn't have done as well had Kitty not been pushing us. Kitty should be respected all on her own; everything she accomplished was through hard work. Did you know she was the youngest Auror ever to be welcomed into the International ranks?" There were surprised sounds from the others, even Remus, as it wasn't something, she'd ever told anyone, save Sirius.

"Thank you," the Kitty said softly as she blushed. She reached under the table and took his hand and held onto it.

"So, what will your cover be while you're in the Soviet Union?" Minerva asked.

"What it always is, that I'm here to pay homage to family members who still hang onto their Magical Court like a lifeline," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "I've been away for years, and I need to genuflect appropriately at their feet. Sirius is with me to flirt with the older women so I can get the information I need."

"I'm just a boy-toy," he said smugly, and there were laughs.

"Is he really help?" King inquired.

"Absolutely," Kitty gushed, still not letting go of his hand. "He knows exactly what to say to make them blush and then gush. Most of the Wizards in the court forget their wives or mistresses are in the room with them, but they have ears, and a little flirting from Sirius or a few words of my heritage can make even the most faithful give up the goods. You'd think men would learn, but they don't."

"Sounds like you're going to have some fun," Amelia said suspiciously.

"You've no idea," Kitty said slowly and in her most chilling voice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hey all, sorry that I've been MIA. I've been battling debilitating headaches and blurry vision lately and it's made working on my computer difficult. I'm feeling better in the last few days, so I plan on writing and getting to responding to your reviews. The trial starts, and it's a humdinger. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. MNF**

**Chapter 11:**

**New Dress**

Kitty and Sirius strode into the courtroom behind Remus and Minerva, looking every bit the pureblood power-couple they were. Arthur had come down early to save seats immediately behind the defendant's table. King and Amelia were already in their places as part of the prosecution team that would end up flipping sides as the evidence against Sirius would be proven inaccurate, incomplete, or just fabricated.

Before Harry's party, Kitty and Sirius had reluctantly gone to Diagon Alley to find the right robes for him to wear to the trial. They chose a set of grey ones that perfectly matched his eyes. He decided on a formal linen shirt, well starched, but no necktie. It was a compromise with Kitty; if he wore suitable shoes – not his riding boots, he didn't need a tie. With his long hair pulled back and secured with a delicate leather strap and his beard and mustache trimmed meticulously, Sirius was every inch the gentry his birthright provided in the magical world.

The jewel-encrusted Black family crest (not something Sirius wanted to wear but understood its purpose) was affixed over his breast. Cornelius Fudge became tangled in his own feet at spying the enormous emeralds that made Sirius' cufflinks. He stifled a laugh, although he wanted to guffaw loudly at the puny man who had put his life on hold with the unfounded arrest. Instead, Sirius walked by with Kitty's arm through his, ignoring the shorter man completely.

Not surprisingly, Kitty was unimpressed with everything she found on Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, so she took a short trip to Milan to find an outfit. The pale blue robes fit her like a glove, and her stiletto peep-toes allowed her to stand nearly as tall as Sirius. The dress wasn't deeply cut, but careful placement of a skin-toned panel made the gown appear to plunge. To not give away the secret, she wore a single strand choker of graduated diamonds, the center one about the size of a baby niffler. The dress had long sleeves with similarly nude panels inlaid. The skirt was slim in the front, fanning out into a train in the back. Lest people had forgotten who she was, the diamond, pearl, and aquamarine crown on her head would remind them. Kitty wasn't just gentry; she was a princess.

"You don't do things by halves, do you, Kitty?" Amelia asked as she came over to say hello and admire the pair. "Paris?"

"Milan," the fashion-plate princess replied. "I went this morning before our court time. I'm glad magical alterations only involve the wave of a wand."

"You're nothing if committed to looking good. Lunch when we're done?"

"As long as we go into Muggle London to do it. I don't want to be stared at on Diagon Alley," Sirius said. "You know the press will have word when the verdict is announced.

"_Rules_ it is then," Kitty chirped. "My treat."

"Good, I can't afford it on my salary," Amelia said. She turned and walked away, leaving Kitty and Sirius a moment before the trial began.

Kitty took both of Sirius' hands and held them close to her heart, the other close to his. "Look at me, please," she said, and Sirius tore his eyes away from their clasped hands so close to her breast. "This is a formality. You are an innocent man, the surrogate father of little Harry, best friend of Remus, and the only man I have ever loved. What they did to you was inexcusable, and they will pay. Whatever happened to you while you were there is past, and not who you are. I know your heart. I know what love resides in it. Our life awaits when we pass through this inconvenience. I will be right behind you. If you need me, just reach, and my hand will be there." Kitty leaned down and kissed his hand that was holding hers close to her chest. Sirius, encouraged by her speech, brushed his lips over hers before she'd moved away. Her only response was to raise the right side of her lips and softly emit a brief chuckle.

Cornelius Fudge was paying close attention to the couple, loathing the happiness they seemed to share. She would not win this battle. Everything they had found had pointed at Sirius Black as being the killer of James and Lily Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Yes, he'd broken Sirius' wand out of frustration, thereby making it impossible to check the final spells that were cast, but it was just a formality. That Dumbledore had agreed with him, had named Black as a Secret Keeper, and then Death Eater made the lack of a trial and his immediate admission to Azkaban possible. Fudge knew his career was based on this arrest; it had to stand. He was disgusted that his primary witness, Auror Shacklebolt, conversed with the guilty party and his guests.

Black's attorneys paraded in together, nearly in lockstep. Fudge admitted he only knew two, and those were from occasional seminars put on by the International Confederation of Wizards. _Fudge scoffed in his mind the best the Fawley fortune could buy_, hating the father and daughter in a flint-like way. His disdain was burning hotter, new parts of his soul catching.

Kitty sat down directly behind Sirius, and he immediately reached out for her hand. While he knew the charges were about to be demolished by his legal team, it didn't mean it would be comfortable to sit through the proceedings. Remus reached forward to squeeze his friend's shoulder, and then he took Kitty's other hand in his.

Because Dumbledore was one of the litigants in this trial, he could not preside over the trial. The International Confederation of Wizards had stepped in and provided a witch to hear the case. Kitty tried not to smile when Rosina Del Grotto entered and climbed to the Interrogator's chair. She was the Minister of Magic for the Italian Ministry. The princess-witch couldn't help but wonder if her father pulled some strings, but if he did, she was not going to say anything. Madame Del Grotto was strict and precise and expected those she was surrounded by to be the same.

"Isn't that your –" Remus whispered in her ear before she cut him off.

"Yes. Be quiet."

The clock had not finished it's tenth chime when Madame Del Grotto began the proceedings. The prosecution went; first, Fudge bumbling through the evidence from the Potter's house, the Muggle street, and what they found when they captured Sirius. When Dumbledore was in the witness chair, Sirius closed his eyes and squeezed Kitty's hand tightly to remain calm. Listening to his former Headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix talk about the relationship he had with James made his stomach turn. He didn't know the half of it—his telling of Sirius's choice as the Secret-Keeper made him want to roar.

Madame Del Grotto was quite hard on the British Chief Warlock about his behavior, specifically why there was no trial – not even a Veritaserum Trial – before Sirius was thrown into the high-security section the wizarding prison. Dumbledore believed he knew the whole truth, so he needed no further investigation. The prosecution rested, and the defense began their refutation. To the defendant's surprise, Kitty was called as the first witness.

"Trust me," she whispered as she slid her hand from Sirius' and walked to the interrogation chair. Her dress required a dramatic flourish of the train, so she was not sitting directly on it. Kitty then straightened her tiara to ensure everyone knew she was wearing one before she trained her eyes on the judge's assist to proceed. She swore on her wand to the tell truth, lest have her magic diminished.

"Princess Ekaterina Fawley, how would you prefer to be addressed?" the first attorney asked.

"You may call me Ms. Fawley, thank you for asking," Kitty answered calmly. Having already decided with the team she'd hired to represent Sirius, her clothing was more than enough to remind those gathered of her place in not only wizarding society but also in the English gentry, a full recitation of her titles would have been overkill.

"Can you tell us about the events of the seventeenth of July, this year?"

"Certainly. I had been away for several years for work, and I arrived at my parents' home in Paris to learn the news of the Potters deaths, Harry's disappearance, and Sirius's imprisonment. My father relayed the facts about our former professor, Minerva McGonagall's attempts to free Sirius. When he'd finished his story, I immediately fire-called Minerva and then took the Floo to her home where she filled in facts, like where little Harry Potter was."

"I understand that the child is no longer at said residence?"

"No, he is not. James and Lily Potter had named Sirius and me his legal guardians, should they die. We were also made godparents at his birth. I simply had to show the documentation to Magical Child Protection Services, and I was able to bring him home to me. I am in the process of legally adopting him," Kitty quickly explained.

"I understand there will be charges brought regarding his care while he was in this interim care?" the attorney asked, already knowing the answer; she was the one who would be managing the charges in the magical world for Harry not being given to Sirius.

"Yes, although that trial will be at a later date. Presently the chief witness, Harry Potter, is too traumatized to be presented to the court."

"How unfortunate. So, what happened between the evening of the seventeenth and the morning of the twentieth when Mr. Black was released from Azkaban?" the attorney asked.

"I began investigating why Sirius had been put in prison. My first conversation was with Remus Lupin at his home," Kitty said.

"You knew how to find him? I'm told he was also missing for much of the same time you were away."

"I always knew where he was. When I had to go out of the UK for work, Remus moved into the grounds of my estate to act as the agent. He also did some tutoring work in the area."

"What did he tell you?" The attorney asked.

"Remus said that his initial gut response was to blame Sirius, thinking he had indeed been made Secret Keeper. However, after the initial shock of hearing the Potters were dead and Harry was in hiding, he began thinking about the situation in earnest. It only took him a moment to realize there was no way that Sirius would have ever betrayed James, and by extension, Lily and Harry." Kitty recounted. "He said that he went to Professor McGonagall immediately with his reservations about how everything was handled. The pair began to work on Sirius' release."

"Do you agree with this assessment?"

"I do. Mr. Lupin agreed to share his memories with me. When accosted only minutes after hearing the news of his friends' deaths, he thought Sirius was the cause. Rational thought took over by dawn, and he knew his former roommate and good friend was not to blame."

"Would you have thought Mr. Black guilty of such a crime?"

"Never."

"Can you explain why you do not think Mr. Black was capable of betraying Mr. Potter?"

"I have the honor of knowing both men since I was a tiny girl. Sirius, James and I, grew up together, often in the care of James' mother, Euphemia Potter. She was a dear woman and was more of the nurturing, loving woman one associate with mother than my own has been. She taught me to be a lady and a woman. I miss her dearly.

"We, the three of us, were each other's best friends when we were children. I watched Jamie and Siri become extremely close. When we went to Hogwarts, it would have been a travesty had none of us been in the same house. James and Sirius were brothers in everything but shared blood. When the Blacks threw their eldest son out of their home, Jamie and I were at the Potters waiting for him. Sirius and I always spent our holidays and summers at the Potter home, at least until they passed. Then it was James and Lily's house that hosted us. They chose a four-bedroom place so that we could each have our rooms. While the boys continued to be my dearest friends, the two of them had a bond that they would have carried to death. I'm quite certain Sirius would have rather died than have his friend do so." Kitty's ice-queen exterior showed a crack when a tear formed in her eye while talking about the boys.

"What about your relationship with the pair?"

"James Potter was my hero. He'd rescued me from climbing too high in trees when we were small, to saving me from overly handsy dates at balls. He understood me. His mother had harbored the hope that I would marry James one day, but we never developed those feelings. I was with him the first time he saw Lily Evans on the Hogwarts Express. From the moment we walked through the passageway, it was obvious the gents were going to rule our year, if not the school. We'd found a compartment, and they went off to make mischief. Lily came in, asking if she could join me. I welcomed her, and we started comparing our lives. James and Sirius returned as the train went into motion, already completely disheveled, and James stumbled over his feet and fell at hers. Not knowing quite what to do, he asked her to marry him. She was stunned. Sirius picked him up, and James stared at Lily the whole way to school. I was happy when she was sorted into Gryffindor. She was my first female friend."

"So, you're saying Mr. Black was Mr. Potter's closest friend, and would not have become a Death Eater?"

"I swear on my magic there is no way that Sirius Black would ever have become a Death Eater or would have ever betrayed any of the Potter's. I know Sirius' heart better than any living person, probably better than anyone who has ever been alive." Before this, Kitty had avoided Sirius' gaze, but at her pronouncement, she looked at him, surprised at how moved she was by the love she found there.

"How would you characterize your relationship with the defendant?"

"Sirius Black is the only man I have ever loved. He is the only person who knows my heart fully. He is that one person in all the world who is meant to make me happy." The silence in the courtroom was complete. Kitty looked away from Sirius, needing to regain her composure. Thankfully, for her anyway, the attorney turned to the steps she took to ensure Sirius' release. Kitty kept her answers short and precise. When Sirius' attorney finished, Kitty was prepared to leave the stand, but Cornelius Fudge stood, intending to cross-examine her. She inwardly groaned.

"Hello, Princess Ekaterina," Fudge said in an icy tone. "We heard many pretty words about how Mr. Black was as a youngster. Shall we talk about him as an adult and the lengths you went to in freeing him?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Hello, thanks for sticking with me. I am finding that I am unable to keep up with answering reviews and handling my health, so I ask that you forgive me for not personally replying. This chapter is all court proceedings. My beta called it delightful. Thanks for reading and please do review and tell me what you think. MNF**

**Chapter 12:**

**Wrong**

_"Hello, Princess Ekaterina," Fudge said in an icy tone. "We heard many pretty words about how Mr. Black was as a youngster. Shall we talk about him as an adult and the lengths you went to in freeing him?"_

Kitty looked at Cornelius Fudge for a second before she straightened her back, lifted her head ever so slightly, and locked her spine in the straight girder fashion she was taught by her mother. Sirius continued to stare at her and saw the minor cock of her head to the side. He knew this maneuver of hers; it meant she was ready to take down her opponent.

"Gladly," she answered.

"What words would you use to describe Mr. Black prior to your leaving the United Kingdom for work?" he asked.

"Dedicated, strong, loving, powerful."

"Those are all very nice words, said by someone who was in love with the defendant. There are some other descriptions of Mr. Black given at the time of his arrest. Would you also say that he is impetuous, hot-headed, bigoted, and malicious? Are these accurate as well?"

Kitty wanted to squirm as Fudge gave his list; she couldn't wholly deny these things about Sirius. "I will concede that just after leaving Hogwarts, Sirius was prone to engaging in actions before completely thinking about the consequences, but he was never malicious. As for bigoted, he only despised the Dark Lord and his followers, so it hardly fit your traditional definition, as we were all against him. He never believed in the ideals that his family espoused."

"Point taken. Going back further, weren't he and his cohorts often in detention while in school?"

"I hardly think any of us should be defined by our actions when we were twelve or thirteen."

"Yes or no. Did he often spend time in detention at Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Kitty was annoyed but refused to show it.

"What about when you entered the Law Enforcement Training Academy; you were in the same training class as Mr. Black? Did he often disrupt classes and use underhanded methods to succeed?"

"Mr. Black did have a propensity for making jokes, but he didn't disrupt our classes as the jokes were mostly directed at Mr. Potter and me. As for having underhanded methods, I can only imagine that you're talking about how he handled training demonstrations and assessments. If you are asking that he often creatively defended himself, used his environment to his benefit and disarmed and subdued his opponents without resorting to curses that would cause bodily harm, then I would have to say yes." Fudge listened to her precise answer, frustrated he could not get under the skin of the unflappable Ms. Fawley. She reminded him too much of her father. He needed to change his attack on her.

"If I may be so bold as to add," Kitty spoke before he could change the subject, "Sirius was never reprimanded for this behavior and often was praised for his ingenuity. I believe you thought enough of him to hire him to be part of the Hit Squad when we completed our time at the Academy." Cornelius Fudge did not want to be reminded that he had worked with the man, especially by her. He needed to veer away from this topic.

"You spoke so eloquently about your relationships with Mr. Potter and Mr. Black as children but ignored much of their adulthood. Tell me, didn't you leave the country over a lover's spat with Mr. Black?" Cornelius grinned, ready to smear the pair of them.

"My personal comings and goings of nineteen eighty-one are hardly the topics of this hearing. The topic is whether Sirius Black should have been sent to Azkaban without the benefit of a trial." Kitty's voice was measured and even. She wasn't going to be lured into whatever trap he was attempting to lay.

"Ah, but you said you were out of the country on the day the Potters died because of work, but it was common knowledge that you'd left to go home to your mummy and daddy." Kitty took offense at his wording, and reflexively her eyes tightened slightly as she glared icily at her inquisitor.

"Yes, I took a personal trip to Paris to see my _parents_ for a few days. While I was there, I was informed of a lead on the primary case I have been working on. The information and informant were in Yugoslavia, and I left my parents' home immediately."

"Ah, yes, this important work that you were doing. Can you tell us what it is that you do in the ministry?" Kitty hated the question because she needed to tell the truth, and that meant revealing some specifics of her caseload.

"I'm an international Auror or a Spook as we are more frequently called."

"I see. You're someone who tells lies as a profession." Sirius' attorneys were about to object when Cornelius continued. "Interesting. What case was it that you were working on when you left the UK in September nineteen eighty-one?" Kitty sighed and looked to the judge. Madame Del Grosso nodded her head reluctantly, indicating Kitty should give the minimum of information which would suffice.

"It was rumored that Lord Voldemort-" a significant gasp was heard in the room. The only ones who did not react to Kitty's using of the name were the attorneys she hired, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and Minerva, "-and his so-called 'Death Eaters' were obtaining Dark magical objects through a route in Eastern Europe. I went to the Slavic Magical Court to see what I could find." Fudge turned and paraded towards the Defendant's table. Then he turned quickly to address her again.

"Yes, your royal lineage would be helpful in such situations. I wonder if they knew that Princess Ekaterina was not there to visit distant family relations, but lie her way into information—"

"Your honor," the second defense attorney said. He was tall, thin as a broomstick with a mop of grey-gold hair on his head. He was also a former Spook and knew what could and could not be asked of an active agent.

"Ask a question, Mr. Fudge," Madame Del Grosso rebuked.

"Fine, fine," he muttered. "You were gone for nearly three years, were you in Yugoslavia the whole time?" Kitty looked at the judge, who again nodded.

"No, from Yugoslavia, I went to Burkina Faso, and from there went on to New Zealand."

"Did you find the source of the alleged Dark magical objects? By this time, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was dead."

"I did, although saying more, will endanger other active agents in the field."

"I see," Fudge said with a dramatic sigh. Kitty was beginning to wonder if he'd been watching the Muggle television shows Lily had shown her about the law and court proceedings. The attorneys were always brilliant at interrogation but employed some strange tactics to make them question, cry or blurt out information they did not want to share. Fudge couldn't possibly think he would entrap her in such a way, could he? "Convenient, isn't it?"

"Your honor," three of Sirius' attorneys said in unison.

"Mr. Fudge, you need to ask a question or release the defendant from the stand," Madame Del Grosso said. "Ms. Fawley's career is well understood by the court, and we know she is unable to share specifics. Either discuss the defendant or move on." Fudge turned an ugly shade of red at her direction and turned back to Kitty with fire in his eyes.

"Princess Fawley, would it be fair to say that you exerted undue pressure on your professional and familial connections to manipulate the Ministry of Magic into helping you free the murderer and your lover, Sirius Black?" The courtroom exploded with objections from Sirius and his attorneys, members of the Wizengamot who were in attendance, members of the Magical Law Enforcement offices, and even Dumbledore. The judge banged on her gavel to quiet the room. Before she could be told not to answer, Kitty spoke.

"There was no undue influence, but if you asked if I went to those individuals I knew could speed up the process, then the answer is yes," Kitty explained. "This, our Ministry, is a political entity, and whether it is the best way to conduct business or not, things get done because people scratch each other's backs. I will not deny that I walked the petition to the people who needed to sign it. Interoffice memos can take weeks to be seen; in this case, I thought that was unacceptable. I did nothing wrong."

"So, it was just this case that you thought needed a rapid reversal? Too fast for anyone to ask questions?" Fudge asked quickly. Sirius's attorney stood to object, but Kitty was faster.

"This is not a hearing for a referendum on our judicial system's speed or the voluminous amounts of parchment needed to accomplish anything. This is about one man who was the victim of assumptions and accusations and was denied the benefit of a trial on the charge of murder. If you are asking if I paid special attention to it, then you're correct. If you ask if I understood the system well enough to facilitate the process, then yes, as a member of the Wizarding Law Enforcement Department of the UK, I am well aware of it. As for questions, the deeper I dove into the events of early November nineteen eighty-one, it was not my actions which appeared to be so hasty as to avoid considerations, but those of the individuals who approved Mr. Black's imprisonment."

"You relied on your father's reputation and contacts to free your lover. I know you did!" Fudge exploded in loud, angry tones, which caused those sitting just behind Kitty in the gallery to lean back. The woman being questioned, however, remained ramrod straight and looking emotionless. The rest of the courtroom was in an uproar.

"Be careful about what you accuse me of, Cornelius," Kitty said softly amidst the chaos. "I know exactly how your career was made, who you were willing to use to get where you are. Playing both sides is always a dangerous game."

"What did you say?" he roared. Most were still in pandemonium over his yelling at Kitty, but three people became acutely aware that Kitty wasn't as she seemed. Albus Dumbledore, Madame Del Grosso, and Sirius Black were enthralled at what the young woman was doing. Sirius tapped on Remus' knee, needing him to listen in; the wolf ears were handy for something.

"I said, I'm a Spook, I trade in secrets. I've learned quite a few about you and your toady lover."

"Order, I will have order!" Madame Del Grosso shouted before casting a _Sonorus_ charm on herself and repeated her call for order. "I am releasing the witness from the stand. Furthermore, I have had enough evidence presented that I believe Sirius Black deserves a fair trial. If the defendant agrees, we will recess for twenty minutes, and then I will preside over a _Veritaserum _trial."

"The defendant will agree," Sirius' first attorney replied.

"Excellent. Additionally, I would like to have the following statement read into the record. I am appalled at the corners which were cut to imprison Mr. Black in nineteen eighty-one. I realize that the Potter family was important to the fight against your Dark Lord, but how you could work from assumptions to take away someone's freedom is beyond the pale. I believe the Ministry of Magic for the UK should look at its leadership more seriously. I do not believe that either of these men – Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge – should be held in regard by this institution. Furthermore, as a ruling member of the International Confederation of Wizards, I will be calling for the removal of both men from the roles of the Confederation. Court is adjourned. The gallery will be emptied for the Truth Trial of Mr. Black."

"Does that mean you'll have to leave?" Sirius questioned Remus.

"I don't think so," Remus answered with a grin. He tilted his head to where Kitty and Madame Del Grosso were conversing. "I think Kitty is arranging our exception."

Twenty minutes later, there were only a dozen or so witches and wizards in the courtroom with Madame Del Grosso. She had come down from the high chair and was sitting across from Sirius at a long table. Kingsley, Amelia, and another Auror were on her side. Kingsley had the bottle of truth serum with him; the other Auror held the antidote. Sirius was sandwiched between his lawyers on one side and Kitty on the other. He wasn't worried about the trial, per se, he didn't want to have them ask any questions about his private life or his time in Azkaban. The past needed to stay there.

"Mr. Black, Sirius, this won't hurt at all," Madame Del Grosso began. "Three drops will be administered, and then we will begin with a few general questions to ensure that you're not fighting it, using Occlumency, or have taken the antidote."

"Believe me, I want the truth out as much as you do, ma'am," Sirius said anxiously.

"I'm sure you do," the judge said with a pat of his hand. "If you would do the honors, Auror Shacklebolt?"

The three drops were put down Sirius' throat, and he swallowed. He could feel when it began to work, as it was as if a comfortable, relaxing cloud passed over his consciousness.

"Do you feel it working, Mr. Black?"

"I do."

"State your name for our record."

"Sirius Black."

"Who is the most important person in the world to you?"

"My Lady Katie," he answered, and Madame Del Grosso looked to Kitty for confirmation that this was her.

"His nickname for me," she explained.

"What do you think is the most beautiful thing in the world?"

"It's either Hogwarts at night or my Katie naked." As he said it, Kitty covered her face with her other hand, while Remus and Minerva chuckled behind them.

"Yes, well, I believe it's working," Madame Del Grosso said with a slight smile. "Let's begin the official questioning.

Twenty minutes later, Sirius and his entourage exited the courtroom with smiles on their faces. Not only had he been cleared of all charges, but he was also now significantly wealthier than he'd been before. Additionally, since his father had passed while he was incarcerated, he'd inherited half of his father's wealth. Sirius insisted that lunch was going to be on him, but then whispered to Kitty that he didn't have a wallet with him, so no Muggle money. She confirmed she'd cover the bill.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I know, it's only been two days, but yesterday I had a writing bug and I went to town. I'll have a longer note at the end. Thanks for reading and reviewing. MNF**

**Chapter 13:**

**Shouldn't Have Done That**

**August 2, 1984**

**Kyiv, Soviet Union**

"I don't care what my great-great-aunt wants, I don't think that we should stay here another night. We can Portkey home as soon as we're packed," Kitty said, kicking her shoes off and then peeling her long gloves off her arms. She and Sirius had just returned to their hotel after the evening ball at the Russian Magical Court. The rest of the country might be under communist rule, but there was still a royal family for witches and wizards, and they ruled absolutely.

"Agreed," Sirius said as he removed the outer coat of his robes and then unbuttoning his waistcoat. He'd transfigured it into a dark green to coordinate with Kitty's robes perfectly. "You don't think they were talking about Vold—"

"Don't finish that name," she cut him off. "It gives me the shivers to think he's not dead, and we know where he and all those famous families from the _Sacred Twenty-Eight,_" she sneered, "are hiding. How some of them escaped prosecution…it makes my blood boil? I almost want to go back to work."

"Kitty, you're on leave. Take the time you're entitled to. Harry needs you."

"I'm not going back to work, but there could be a lot of work ahead for my colleagues, and most of them cannot do what I do." Kitty was frustrated, and because of this, she was unable to unzip her dress. It was a frothy swirl of dark green silk and blue-green lace accentuated with peacock feathers. Sirius had laughed when she pulled it out of her trunk. She only wished it was a joke.

Sirius crossed the room to her, his shirt now open and showing his prison tattoos, and unzipped her gown. She let the dress fall from her arms and puddle on the floor before she stepped out of it. She wore a silk slip and her underwear but hadn't been this 'uncovered' in front of him in years. They'd been changing in the loo while sharing the room.

The pair of former lovers stood in front of each other, more naked and vulnerable than they'd been since she'd freed him. Gently and uncharacteristically timidly, Kitty reached out and touched the darkest of the tattoos on Sirius' chest. "You've hidden these from me."

"I'm unhappy they're there." Her fingers traced over his skin, and Kitty's eyes became wet as she interpreted them.

"Cursed with hardship, always in pain," she said as she touched the large one on his abdomen and his muscles contracted. "This one, over your heart, means heart of lead, and this means with the dust. My Merlin, Sirius, what they," she sobbed, and he pulled her to him.

"It's okay, they're only markings on my skin, Luv. They don't mean anything. I hung out as Padfoot most of the time, and there aren't tattoos on a dog. I'm fine, look, I even counter-cursed myself." He gently moved her away from him and pointed to the largest one on his chest. "It's because of you I remembered the alchemical symbol for putrefaction, and I amped it up a bit."

"Only you would remember putrefaction was actually a process of rebirth and renewal. The four of you certainly made enough things that smelled like putrefied materials," she laughed. "What's this one here?" she pointed to his arm and some poorly executed letters.

"My first attempt at being my own scribe. It didn't work."

"Well, it wouldn't," Kitty agreed. "You used two different alphabets, and it's all upside down. If you'd succeeded, doing it upside down would have reversed the charm, and you'd have killed yourself," she said mirthfully. Her happiness died when she looked at him. "Sirius, you weren't trying to kill yourself, were you?"

He moved away from her and sat on the bed, tenting his fingers together and resting his chin on the apex. His eyes were settled on the light coming from under the door to their room.

"You have to understand, I fought my captors at first. Claiming my innocence to everyone and taking every punch and curse with righteous indignation. After the first year, I realized no one was going to come for me, and no one was fighting for me…I gave up. I still wouldn't share anything I knew about the Order or Jamie or you; I was never going to be a two-faced liar, even if it might have meant leaving that place. No, I withstood whatever they heaped on me and maintained my faithfulness to my ideals. It was just overwhelming to know that no one cared."

Kitty moved to kneel in front of him, resting her hand on his cheek. "I knew it was awful, but I had no idea it was this bad. I am so happy you didn't succeed in killing yourself." With these words, his eyes moved to hers. They stared at each other for long minutes, unsure of what to say.

"Katie, my Katie," Sirius whispered, "do you still love me, truly?"

"I swore to it, didn't I?" The words had barely left her mouth when his lips were upon them, and she was held tightly in his arms. The power of the kiss had her heart racing and a familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach. Helpless against her own feelings and the strength of the embrace, she gave in and kissed him back. Moments of lips, tongues, teeth, and mouths pulling and caressing were the only thing the pair knew, and Kitty barely noticed when he'd turned them and began walking her backward toward the bed. It was only when she'd fallen backward onto it that reality crashed back into her mind. "I can't. We can't," she said breathlessly. Sirius rolled off her and let loose a string of curse words that made her blush.

"This isn't the time for this," she said softly. "I'm not just going to fall into a relationship with you because you make me forget my brain."

"Why do you have to think everything through?" he asked grumpily.

"One of us has to," she bit back, taking a deep breath and calming not only her racing heart but also her jumbled head. "We aren't the same people we were when I left for Paris that day. I think we should get to know each other before we fall into bed shagging. Anyway, I need to get what we've learned back to the MLE and move on to it." Kitty slid from the bed, gathered her traveling close from her case, and went to the loo to change. Hearing the door latch and the lock engage Sirius, let out a guttural groan.

"What are you doing back already?" Remus asked when Kitty and Sirius walked through the door at nearly half eleven that evening. He wasn't expecting them back for another two days. "What happened?"

"Nothing, that's what happened," Sirius grumbled before he Disapparated for his room. Kitty sighed and shook her head.

"Ignore him," she said, but Remus just raised his eyebrow at her. "Fine, we," she said while waving her hand between herself and down the hallway in the approximate direction of Sirius' room, "had a heated moment which I shut down because I didn't want to be distracted right now. He's being shirty."

"Okay," Remus replied, regretting, he'd asked. He had made a promise to himself to keep out of his friends' love-life. "Why are you back?"

"Because we found out some potentially explosive information. Did you know the Avery, Mulciber, Nott, and Malfoy families all have 'summer homes' in a small magical resort town of Ohrid, Yugoslavia?" Remus sat down slowly in the chair he had been sitting and reading in before Kitty and Sirius had returned.

"No idea. What does it mean? Do you think Dumbledore knows?"

Kitty cringed at the old man's name. "I don't think he or the Aurors know. Hell, I don't think that the ICW knows either because they've been manipulating the Slavic court members as well."

"What do you mean?"

"You know I'm related to the Greek royal family, back before the war with Grindelwald?" Remus nodded. "Some of them fled to the Russian magical court, some to the Slavic court in Sarajevo. Family members at the Slavic court three years ago were now in Kyiv and the Russian court. Apparently, a group of ultra-conservative English wizarding families was pushing their way into the Slavic court. No one knows or was willing to share what they were doing or what they might have been asking for. I need to report to the MLE first thing in the morning."

Remus scrubbed his face and then ran his hand through his floppy brown hair. Kitty smiled, recognizing the move from when he was trying to solve a difficult problem in Arithmancy. "Why don't you Floo call Minister Bagnold tonight?"

"There isn't anything that can be done tonight. If this is true, and I must take some of what we heard with skepticism, this is something bigger than a one-person mission to Russia."

"Sirius was with you; it wasn't just one person."

"True, but his magic is still a bit wonky. He decapitated a statue behind him when we were practicing Stunning Spells at a dummy in the yard the other night." Remus shook his head, knowing his friend wasn't quite as skilled a dueler as he'd once been.

"Harry," Remus said, suddenly standing. "What are you doing up?"

The little boy didn't answer but walked toward his aunt and uncle. He turned to face his Aunt Kitty and looked at her peculiarly before he spoke.

"I knew it was you." It didn't sound like the four-year-old; instead, his voice was deep and cold. Remus and Kitty were shocked and stood staring at him.

"What did you say, sweetheart?" Kitty asked as she knelt.

"No!" Harry screamed before he pushed her over and began to scratch at her face. Remus was stunned for a second before he pulled Harry off Kitty and restrained the squirming child.

"Harry, Harry, you have to stop!" Remus said forcefully. "Sirius, I need you!" he yelled as he tried to quiet the screaming and kicking boy. Harry went limp as Sirius entered the room and went to Kitty's side, seeing the marks on both her cheeks and chin.

"What's happening?" he asked, even as he attempted to assess the situation.

"It's Harry, he's—maybe it's a nightmare?" Kitty suggested.

"Maybe," Remus said, unsure.

**Author's 2nd Note: Three (not-so) quick things. 1. Kyiv is the modern spelling of the city, so I used it. At the time it would have been spelled Kiev. 2. I based what Kitty was seeing in Sirius' tattoos on diagrams of the movie ones. What is seen is close to both the Futhark Elder Runes and Alchemical symbols and a dash of Greek thrown in to make it interesting. How I arrived at what the curses meant was by combining the two closest symbols. It made for some interesting research, but if I'm even a bit close, his skin was a horror story. 3. The city I picked in Yugoslavia is a real, very posh resort city which is now in Northern Macedonia. It's proximity to Albania, where Voldemort's known story picks up, is what made me pick it. Thanks so much for taking time to read and review. MNF**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Yes, it's a third chapter in four days. I'm able to write, which makes me happy and thus you will be getting more. This chapter begins to explore some of the major plots of the story. Hope you enjoy. MNF**

**Chapter 14:**

**Going Backwards**

Kitty generally wasn't the first one up in the morning, it was usually Harry, but today he was sleeping late. She would be lying if she said sleep had come easily to her because it hadn't. The guys were ready to pass off Harry's strange behavior the night before as a nightmare, and she'd wanted to as well, but it felt different. There was none of the loving recognition in Harry's eyes when he saw her, unlike when he'd awoken crying and screaming from a 'regular' nightmare. Harry's eyes were cold and blank when he'd looked at her while scratching her face. It unnerved her. Thankfully, Remus was able to heal the cuts quickly and easily; he was the master at doing so now.

The kisses she'd shared with Sirius had also kept her awake.

"Merlin, I missed that," she whispered into her coffee, remembering the feel of his lips and the tickle of his facial hair. It would have been so easy to fall back into everything with him, but … "It's always but with him." Kitty quietly sipped her cup and watched the mist burn off the lawn and trees. She'd need to think, unencumbered of thoughts of kisses and passion. What would be reported to the MLE this morning felt important.

"Why would they need homes in Yugoslavia?" she mused aloud. "All four of those families have plenty of holdings in the UK." She had personally met or went to school with the younger generations of the Malfoy, Avery and Mulciber families; all three men were horrid. Lucius Malfoy was cruel in a way that shocked her. It was apparent he held his wife in some manner of a thrall as he used and abused her in many ways. Kitty hated when they'd see each other at functions, as the girl she knew as a child was gone, and the woman left was hollow and brittle. They may not have shared ideas on the direction of the Wizarding world, but no one deserved to be eviscerated the way Narcissa had been.

Stirling Avery wasn't intelligent, but he was sadistic – probably something he learned from his father, Cuthbert. Monty Potter had warned them about the older man and what he was known to do to women when he captured them. It would be a lie to say that Lily and the rest of her roommates knew to give Stirling a wide berth. It plagued Lily's thoughts that Severus had chosen Stirling as one of his closest friends when their relationship had ended. The disappearance and subsequent murder of a third-year Hufflepuff in their seventh year confirmed their suspicions. Not surprisingly, Avery had disappeared from Hogwarts at the same time.

She knew Edwin Mulciber the best of the young men, as they'd moved in the same circles as children. A child of Lord Montague Mulciber and very distantly related to the royal family too, the Mulcibers were on the surface a fine family, much like the Malfoys. There had always been rumors about how Montague was adding to his fortune; namely, he'd kill his rivals and take their businesses. Edwin had been pleasant when he was younger, and it wasn't uncommon for him to play with James and Sirius. By the time they'd reached Hogwarts though, he was a different boy. He'd hit anyone who used his first name, even girls, as Kitty had found out on the third day of first year. Stupidly he'd slapped her in front of Professor Flitwick, and he ended up in detention. His behavior went downhill from there, and he was eventually expelled from Hogwarts and sent to Durmstrang. When he'd turned up as part of the Death Eaters, she wasn't surprised.

Cantankerous Nott was an unknown to her, although not the MLE. He was born well before her parents and had gone through four wives before he finally produced an heir. The little boy was about the age of Harry. All his previous wives died in strange accidents, but their deaths could not be tied to him. She was tempted to pull his file when she went in today.

Lost in thought, Kitty didn't hear Sirius open and close the French door from the dining room and come close. When he touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped from her chair, and her coffee covered her dressing gown. Thankfully, it had cooled while she'd held the cup; unfortunately, she'd not drunk much, and she was a mess.

"Jumpy much?" Sirius asked as he removed his wand from his back pocket and cleaned her up.

"Thanks," she muttered. "I was thinking about the four families with summer homes in Yugoslavia. Trying to remember what I knew about them. It's not much, except for Edwin."

"Yeah, I spent some time trying to remember everything too. None of them were prosecuted, were they?"

"They all slipped through cracks, or more likely paid their way out of trouble. You know what they were like at school," she said quietly.

"If something happened, a daddy was meeting with the board, and the board always went against Dumbledore," Sirius added darkly. "All friends of my father's; the old men at least." Kitty nodded, knowing something painful was going through his mind at the mention of his father. Kitty had always feared the man, even before she learned why she should. Sirius' stories of home life, when she finally pried them out of him when they were away at Hogwarts, were horrific. Her parents were driven, had exacting expectations for her, but they cared in their own way. They would do differently with Harry.

"Kitty, can we talk about yesterday?" Sirius asked, and she nodded. "What do you want?"

It was a loaded question, and if Kitty was brutally honest, she wanted him. She wanted what they'd had. She just wasn't sure she'd be able to give herself to him completely, and that frightened her.

"When you kissed me when we kissed, it felt like it used to," she said thoughtfully. "But it isn't like it used to be. You broke something in me that took a long time to heal. Do you know I couldn't bring myself to even have coffee with another man while I was in New Zealand? Three years and I was celibate. If we start this again, I might not be able to give you all my heart. Honestly, I'm terrified."

Now sitting across from her, Sirius sat his mug on the table and reached for her hands. "Kitty, I know I hurt you. I was so stupid that night, and I could give you excuses about being in pain and falling into a potion-induced haze that made me do what I did, but honestly, I just stopped thinking because it was easier than feeling everything.

"Fee and Monty were gone, and usually I'd have run to them for answers. Prongs and Moony tried to keep me in that night; they tried everything, including going with me to get matching tattoos; but I was determined to forget that you'd left. I take responsibility for my actions that night and for the consequences of my actions."

"That isn't something you usually do."

"Lady Katie, we aren't twenty-year-olds anymore. We are adults who have lived through some ugly shite. Please, we need each other." Kitty searched his face, his eyes, something that would affirm what she wanted to believe. She needed to know he'd not break her heart again. He needed to be faithful.

Faithfulness had never been an issue until that night she admitted it. He'd never been unfaithful to any of the girls he'd ever dated. Even once he began to pursue her, he didn't date anyone – even casually. "Slowly, we go slowly."

Sirius scooped her up into his arms and kissed her enthusiastically. They were interrupted by Cheery announcing Harry was awake and wanting his breakfast.

"Our timing stinks," Kitty mumbled against his lips. Her stomach growled rather loudly, and Sirius released her but kept a protective arm across her back and down to her waist.

"I don't think you ate the whole time we were gone," he said as he picked up both now empty mugs. "Let's feed you before our trip to the Ministry."

As they walked into the dining room, Harry and Remus were already sitting at the table, and Remus raised his eyebrow at their comfortable embrace. He knew this would happen; he just wasn't sure when. Lily used to call them Peanut Butter and Jam, and they were.

"Something I should know about?" he asked.

"She still loves me, Moony! Still wants me around and all!" Sirius sounded like a little boy who had won a prize at Primary school for his work. Kitty knew he didn't view her as such, but she was struck at how wonderfully innocent his face was as he said it. Suddenly, years of hardship melted off his features, and she saw the boy who had tried to teach her to fly. She never took to it, no matter how hard he and Jamie had tried to encourage her. Sirius reminded her of his mirth when she made it around a single lap at the Potter pitch without falling off.

"You still love me?" a little voice interrupted, and all three adults looked at Harry with varying degrees of pity.

"Harry, sweetheart, we will always love you more than you could ever know," Kitty said softly as she knelt next to his chair. "You are the bestest, most delightful part of our family. We all will always love you."

"But you love Sirius?"

"Harry, people can love more than one person. I love your Uncle Remus too, but not the same way I love you or Uncle Sirius. I loved your Mummy and Daddy too. All of our hearts are big enough to love many people and, in many ways," Kitty gently explained.

"Good. Sometimes the voice says you won't keep loving me. Do you want some eggs? Cheery put cheese in them," he said happily. Remus mouthed 'voice?' at her, and Kitty shook her head. Although there had been a lot of different actions from Harry in the last twenty-four hours, that was a new one.

"What voice, honey?" Kitty asked.

"The one I sometimes hear in my room."

"Okay," she said perplexed. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Good. I thought that I got up to see you and Uncle Sirius, but I don't know if it was real." He shoveled another forkful of waffle, peanut butter, treacle, and blueberries toward his mouth; most made it in. Remus had finally learned to charm his clothes, so things simply slid off onto the mat on the floor. His ability to use silverware was behind where it should be for his age, and it made all of them wonder if he was ever fed at the table in his time at the Dursleys.

Kitty ate and dressed quickly, choosing a more relaxed attire. Her dress trousers and blouse were in a coordinating set of blues, which made her eyes sparkle like sapphires. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that swung when she walked, and her make-up was minimal. It was the first time either man had seen her this relaxed since they'd come together two weeks ago as their quasi-family unit.

"What?" she asked when she noticed they were staring at her.

"You're just not wearing robes," Sirius spit out.

"I'm well aware," she said with a glance and curve of her lip that reminded him of her true icy person for most people.

"You look pretty when you're like this."

Kitty smiled softly and looked away as she blushed. "Come on, Kingsley is going to make copies of our memories before I speak to the MLE."

When Kitty was able to view Sirius's memories, she realized they'd learned more than she thought. He'd even gotten a street address of one of the homes but did not know what city it was in. They'd provided the Aurors who were going to move forward with valuable intel. She didn't care how much they begged her to stay on, Kitty was firm that she was taking her indefinite leave.

"There is something much more important in my life now. I'll visit the royal courts if you need me to, but I will not go undercover in Yugoslavia. It's too risky for me, and I have too much to lose now," she said firmly when Rufus Scrimgeour pleaded. He finally gave up when Amelia Bones came over and told him to stop.

"Albus is pleading with me to get you to talk with him," she explained. "Could you find it in you to give him two minutes. I think he needs to share something with you."

"You know if anyone else was asking me, I'd turn them down," Kitty quipped at her boss-come-friend. "Let me get Sirius, and we'll listen to him."

Albus Dumbledore was awaiting the couple in Amelia's office. He was seated in one of the wingbacks that faced her desk. Amelia sat down behind her desk, figuring if it was important enough for Kitty to know, then she was going to find out what it was. Sirius leaned casually next to the filing cabinets across from Albus. The man had already stollen part of his life, he was going to remain on guard while they spoke. Kitty sat on the edge of Amelia's desk and waited for him to speak.

"Lady Fawley," Albus began, "I believe we have done a great disservice to young Harry by taking him away from his biological family." The other three were silent for a moment before Sirius yelled at his former headmaster.

"What sort of shite are you talking, old man? They beat him. They starved him. The made him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs! How the fu—" Kitty quickly cut him off before the tirade of curse words could be spilled.

"Honestly?" Kitty asked. "After all we know what they put that poor boy through while he was there, you want to send him back?"

"Yes."

"You're suggesting that you take a child away from people he is learning to love and care for and shower him with praise and cuddles and kisses to return him to a place that allowed broken bones to go without resetting? Why would you do that?" Kitty asked, her eyes were now like flint, and every cell in her body stood firm. No one would take Harry away from her. This was Jamie and Lily's dying wish. She would betray neither her childhood hero nor her best friend.

"Why?" she seethed when he didn't answer her immediately.

"When Lily sacrificed herself for Harry, she put a charm on him. I don't think she intended to, as the magic is ancient now. He must be protected by his mother's blood. Living with the Dursley's does that," Albus explained in a slightly pompous tone.

"Albus, there is no charm that could be stronger than the centuries-old spells on Kitty's home. Yes, Lily loved her son with her whole heart, and I don't doubt her sacrifice, since I was the one who first came upon them," Sirius said with venom dripping from every syllable. "I'm the one who found my brother lying face-up, eyes dead at the bottom of the stairs. I," he slapped his chest, "was the one who went up to Harry's room and had to step over Lily's body to reach my godson. He was bleeding and terrified, and he wanted his mummy. His screams haunted my memories in Azkaban. You didn't do that, I did. You're the one who took him from my arms and put him in that hellhole of a home." By now, Sirius was both angry and close to crying. Kitty went to him and held him while he calmed.

"No. Harry will not be taken from us. We have legally binding documents naming us as his guardians, and soon we'll be his parents too," she said firmly. "It isn't what we wanted, we'd have given our lives so his mother and father could have lived, but Voldemort killed them. Their child won't leave my home."

Albus looked to Amelia, who shook her head. "Even if this charm could be validated, I doubt it could; they have legal documents. Harry belongs with Kitty and Sirius."

"Thank you," Kitty said softly to her friend before leaving with her arm securely around Sirius, not looking back.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I know, yet another chapter this week; don't complain because who knows when my brain might decide to no longer be cooperative and completely dry up on ideas. There's nothing worse. This chapter is less dramatic, more like breathing. Plus little Harry, Ginny and Neville are here so who doesn't want to see them. Enjoy, should have another chapter this weekend. Thanks to those of you who review, I love reading the theories on what's going on. MNF**

**Chapter 15:**

**See You**

**August 11, 1984**

It was a lazy Saturday morning; the afternoon would be spent at Ginny's third birthday party, and tonight was the full moon. In the distance, Kitty heard Peter Gabriel singing about heading home from Solsbury Hill. She chucked, thinking Sirius had started his education of Harry on the finer points of Muggle rock music. He was obsessed, and subsequently, she and James had learned much even before they went to Hogwarts. Some of it she liked, but if she were honest, she'd rather listen to the keyboard-based Modern Rock that was coming into vogue now. Peter Gabriel, however, had always been an agreement between the couple.

Kitty was lost in her reading, studying in the vast, third-floor library. The house held two massive libraries. The one on the ground floor was chocked full of Muggle manuscripts and folios dating back to the completion of the house in the Tudor period. She was in the Magical one and judging by the number of tomes that hung suspended in around her, she was deep in research mode.

"Luv," Sirius said gently when he finally found her, "we need to be going soon." She turned her head at his voice but did not make any other comment or stand.

"One more minute," she said, picking up her wand and swishing it about to return many of the books to their proper places. Only three remained with her.

When Sirius reached her, he let his fingers trail down the back of her neck, since it was delightfully exposed as her hair was pulled loosely into a bun, two unused quills crossing to hold it in place. Tendrils had come loose, and they flew freely, making Kitty look more delicate and carefree than he'd seen her in a long time. He left a lingering kiss on her cheek before picking up one of her books.

"_Nature's Nobility_ ?" he asked skeptically. "I know you don't buy into this shite."

"I don't," she said, taking back the book, "but I'm not an encyclopedic reference volume on old Wizarding families. That book is, and I needed to know how people are connected. For instance, the Nott family has ties to nearly every pure-blood family across France, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Italy. There are innumerable places they could hide where our MLE would never get at them."

"What brought on your interest in old Cantankerous?"

"This," Kitty said, lifting the file. "It's the first packet of intel from our Spooks in Yugoslavia, and I'm just putting bits together or trying to. It's like I have a few pieces of a puzzle, but not enough to put any of it together or see what the picture is." Lily had introduced her to Muggle puzzles, and Kitty had found she enjoyed them very much. It was quiet, methodical, and something she did alone or just with Lily. She'd not put one together since she'd left in eighty-one.

"Why are you doing the analysis?" Sirius asked in a disagreeable tone.

"Because Amelia asked me to look at it as a favor to her," Kitty said frankly. Sirius nodded slowly.

"What's your relationship with her? I don't remember you being close before."

"Well, when I first went to work in the Auror department, she was my supervisor. I was her last active duty trainee; actually, she went on to work in a more administrative capacity. I think it's what she wanted, be more involved with the Wizengamot and law-making than law enforcement. There aren't many women in the Auror corps, so those of us who are, we stick together. She was my handler in the UK while I was undercover. I have to tell you, going back into the offices without Amelia or Alice being there was tough. Alice's desk was next to mine. I like working with her."

"Uh-huh," Sirius replied distractedly. "What are these?" he asked, picking up a pair of drawings that we mostly hidden under photographs from the official file. Kitty blanched, knowing she was caught.

"They're drawings I made of your prison tattoos. I was trying to decipher them all."

"Kitty, please don't. I know what they mean or what the jailers thought they were writing on my skin. You don't need to be subjected to that sort of ugliness." Kitty took his free hand, pulled it, so his palm faced upward and then kissed the center.

"Nothing about you is ugly," she said lovingly. "See, these ones here on your hand, I know it was supposed to keep you from feeding yourself, so you'd starve. That's what those symbols mean – but you fought it because you didn't die." She stood and put her hands at the bottom of his tee and lifted it up off him.

"This one, here on your side," she continued her fingers gliding over his flesh, making gooseflesh erupt, "The way it twists across your side to your back and onto your brain stem, it should have taken away thoughts of people who love you."

"It never worked," Sirius confessed, guiding her to sit on the table so he could stand between her legs. "I remembered you," he said, placing a kiss between his statements every few inches across her jaw, neck, and face. "Every day I was there, I made myself remember. Your smile, tongue, the way you sighed, moaned, and cried out in ecstasy." His lips finally met hers, and the kiss was passionate, unhurried, and deep. Kitty even allowed her hands to graze across his chest and flick his nipple with her nail. He rewarded her brazenness by wrapping her legs around his waist. The kiss lasted a few minutes longer, and then Sirius pulled himself away, leaving Kitty breathless. He picked his shirt up from where she'd dropped it and put it back on.

"Would you have them removed?" she asked in a move to distract herself from the wicked ideas she was having.

"If it's possible, yes, but some are cursed, and I don't know if it would trigger a charm on it or what. It's not something I want to entertain just yet. Come on, you need to get changed to go to Ginny's party. They're expecting us at half-eleven."

"I am dressed," Kitty said, sliding from the table.

"Katie, you look beautiful, but do you think that you're dressed appropriately for a child's garden party? We are going to the Burrow, remember." Kitty had put on a halter top pantsuit made of silk in a soft taupe.

"It's not like Harry's party, where I was going to be feeding the children and all. I'm sure there will be chairs to sit on and –"

"Kitty, we're going to The Burrow. They have six boys living there. Go put on some jeans and a tee-shirt. You can wear trainers since I haven't seen your boots since we've moved back here." Sirius was perturbed the dragon hide boots he'd had made for her didn't seem to be in her closet anymore.

"I don't own any tee shirts anymore, Sirius. I didn't dress that way while I was away. When I returned, I found out that Mother had cleaned out my closet on a whim. Most of my things went to the charity shop." Sirius gasped.

"Please tell me the Welsh Green boots I had made for you did not go to a charity shop! Those boots took forever to get the right hide and then getting them to fit your calves correctly –"

"They're safely upstairs in storage. I haven't done a great deal of riding – horse or motorbike. I'll have Cheery find them, okay? Come on," she said, tugging on his arm, "you can help me pick out an appropriate blouse from my closet."

"Better yet, I'll bring you a tee. Queen or the Rolling Stones?" he asked, nearly running out of the library.

"Queen, I guess," Kitty answered unenthusiastically.

Twenty minutes later, they were in the Weasley kitchen, Harry had already run outside to find Ginny. Molly took the birthday gift from Kitty and then the tray of Raspberry Cream Puffs Cherry had made from Sirius.

"These might not make it to the serving table until after the children have gone through," Molly said with a glint in her eye.

"I heard nothing, Molly," Kitty said kindly. When her hands were free, Molly turned around and enveloped Kitty in a huge hug.

"I am glad to see you back on English soil," she said. "You were gone too long." She then reached out to hug Sirius.

"Oh, dear boy, I am so sorry that I never did anything …" she stopped after becoming verklempt.

"Molly, everyone thought I was guilty. I don't blame you," he said gently. "I'm thrilled you invited me today. I've missed cousin Molly's cooking." Sirius kissed her cheek.

"You and Dromy, we're barely related, and yet you two treat me like I'm a close relation. So did your Uncle Alphard."

"When most of your relatives hate you, anyone who doesn't become an immediate family. You and Arthur were good to me when I was a kid, and Andromeda would bring me along to see you. I don't forget kindnesses, Molly."

"I'm sure you don't," Molly replied while patting his cheek. "Everyone is outside, go on, Arthur will set you up with something to drink." Sirius went out of the kitchen door, leaving Kitty and Molly alone.

"Can I do anything to help you?" Kitty asked as she pulled at the shirt she was wearing.

"Yes, you can, sweetie. Will you help me put these figures onto Ginny's cake?" Molly said, using her wand to lower a tin box from the top shelf of a cabinet above their icebox.

"Absolutely," Kitty answered enthusiastically, again pulling at her shirt. "You've hidden those quite well."

"I had to, they're made of sugar, and the twins would have devoured them and then run the house ragged," Molly explained as the lid was opened to reveal delicate pink and purple flowers and a small version of Ginny's doll, Hecate, sitting on a sand chair. "The flowers are mine; the topper is of Ginny's desire."

"Oh, it's just like at Harry's party."

"She hasn't stopped talking about meeting Harry and being friends with him. She's made Ronnie quite barmy with her talk."

Kitty twisted, trying to feel a bit more comfortable. "She made an impression on him too," Kitty admitted. "I think he's mentioned her twenty times a day in the last two weeks."

"Kitty, dear, is there something wrong with your clothing?" Molly finally asked.

"The shirt is Sirius's, and it was like a baggy dress on me, so he shrunk it down to size for me, but I think he made a mistake because it just does not fit me across the chest."

"I hardly think it was a mistake, dear," Molly said with a knowing smile, removing her wand from her apron. "Hold still." A moment later, Kitty felt like she could breathe again.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, dear. Did Remus not come with you today?"

"He's feeling a bit under the weather today," Kitty lied, unsure how much Molly knew about his 'Furry Little Problem' as it was called in school.

"What time is the full moon?" Molly asked casually.

"Moonrise is at 5:35, but things don't get serious until sunset. He thought it would be safest if he stayed close to home." Molly nodded and then levitated the finished cake onto the icebox, well out of the most in attendance.

"Whether that was wise or him being overly cautious, I will leave to Remus," she said kindly. "Andromeda and Ted are here with their daughter. She's about to start at Hogwarts, and I thought she might like to meet Bill and Charlie before going," Molly explained. "Be forewarned, my dear, she's a Metamorphmagus and is entertaining the twins by changing her face, frequently."

"I stand forewarned," Kitty said, following Molly out of the kitchen and into the garden. There quite a few children running or flying around. Kitty spied Harry sitting in the shade of a huge oak tree with Ginny, Neville, and a little girl with blonde hair she didn't recognize. She finally found Sirius, Butterbeer bottle dangling between his fingers, lounging against a paddock post talking with Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Kitty took off toward the trio with a big smile. When Dromy caught sight of her, she rushed up to her.

"Kitty," was said warmly before they hugged tightly. "Thank you for proving he didn't do it and getting him out of there," Dromy Tonks whispered. "In my heart, I never believed it, but no one would listen to me."

"I just wish I'd known while I was away," Kitty confessed. "As angry and hurt as I was, I never would have let him rot. I was too self-centered at the time –"

"You were not, and he's been proven innocent. Is there any news on Peter Pettigrew?" the older woman asked as they walked back to the pair of men.

"Not that I've heard of, but I am letting the Aurors handle it and keeping Remus and Sirius from running off to search for him."

"Moony, and I think we'll find him quicker," Sirius said as he draped an arm over Kitty's shoulder.

"No, because the pair of you will get too emotional, and then you'll both be in Azkaban, and I won't be able to get you out. WE, all of us, are responsible for Harry now. Make that little boy your focus," Kitty said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius replied with a wicked curl of a smile. Kitty talked with the pair for a moment longer before she became more interested in what Harry was doing with his friends. For the first time since she'd brought him home with her, he seemed relaxed and happy, like an average boy his age. Yes, he was shorter than Ronnie or Neville, and significantly thinner. Still, Kitty hoped that with tasty meals and his special revitalizing and vitamin potions, he would gain enough weight and height that in a few years, the boy would be more normal.

She was struck again by Harry smiling. He was such a copy of his father at the same age. Memories of the pair of them with Sirius and some of the other Pure-blood children who'd played together flooded her, and she leaned against Sirius as her memories flitted around her brain. When she looked up, she was surprised to find the children were no longer under the tree. Kitty panicked until she saw Harry and Ginny walking toward her, hand in hand.

"Hello Miss Ginevra, Happy Birthday," Kitty said as she knelt to talk eye-to-eye with the pair.

"Thank you very much," Ginny replied. "But, could you please call me Ginny. I don't like Ginevra."

"Of course, sweetie. I don't like my first name much either."

"What's your first name? It's not Kitty?"

"No, that's what everyone calls me because my name is Ekaterina."

"Oh," Ginny elongated the word, her eyes wide. "That would be hard to spell. I like your name Kitty better."

"So, do I," Harry said, happy to agree with his first friend.

"What brings you over here? You seemed to be having fun under the tree."

"We were," Ginny said firmly, "but Bill and Charlie said that they would take us wading in the pond, but I know Harry doesn't have a swimming costume with him. Mummy said he could use an old one of Ronnie's, but she said we had to ask you first." She was a very direct three-year-old.

"Can I, Auntie Kitty," Harry asked, and Kitty looked up at Sirius.

"Think it's okay?" She queried her parenting partner. He nodded.

"It's fine, Harry. Uncle Sirius and I will come over and watch, okay?"

"Yes," Harry said. He then dropped Ginny's hand and threw himself at her to share a hug. Kitty ended up on her butt on the grass. As quickly as he'd embraced her, he was gone, running to the house, holding Ginny's hand.

"Aren't you glad you didn't wear your fancy trousers?" Sirius asked as he helped her up. Kitty decided the question didn't deserve a response.

"Was he wearing a Queen shirt?" she asked, instead.

"Wondered how long it would take you to notice. We've all dressed alike. Family outfits."

"I never dressed like my parents. Did you?" she asked Ted and Dromy. They both shook their heads, and Kitty dropped her head and shook it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I'm using something created by another author (with their permission) in this chapter. Meridee and Meridee's Law are the creation of author hp_fangirl from SIYE. They fit this story and also help explain a few things. My thanks to my beta, Arnel, as well as she is keeping up with my crazy production. Thanks so much for reading and please review if you're so compelled. MNF**

**Chapter 15:**

**I Feel Loved**

The heat of summer burned off into the cooler temperatures, autumn rolled in, much like the fog that covered the hillsides near Kitty's home. Autumn also meant school trips to the property resumed. The main house was only open for tours from April through October. The spring and summer month visitors were usually plant, insect, and bird enthusiasts come to walk through the numerous gardens and greenhouses to see what they could spy. A few hours of leisurely walking and then they'd stop for a bite at the other end of the property in the little café at the edge of town. There were only three or four days the house was open each month. The family chose to keep to their floors, or they took Harry to visit things like the Muggle zoo or her parents' flat in Paris. Harry was better behaved at the National History Museum than Sirius, who enjoyed making lewd comments under his breath.

Late September and early October were far busier at Kitty's estate due to educational tours. The eight weeks between the start of term and Halloween were always busy. There was also a ghost tour fundraiser that happened on the last two weekends of October. Kitty had laughed when she'd read some of the things Muggles believed about the danker parts of the manor house and the people who had lived there, but people wanted to come 'see for themselves' and these two weekends raised a fair bit of Muggle money. Kitty pretended to use the funds to maintain the house and grounds, whereas the pounds were sent to the National Trust for homes and buildings without magical inhabitants. She had NEVER felt comfortable with the Muggle trappings of Halloween, even before James and Lily's murders. She wondered how she would handle this year; would Sirius and Remus be helpful, or would they fall into a drunken stupor to forget.

Due to the utter confusion that October would bring, the family decided to decamp to another of Kitty's family holdings, _Wych Elm Hill_. Remus had never been to this particular home and was nervous about being there for his transformation. He felt better when he realized he'd have a separate dwelling complete with a wine cellar that had a three-inch-thick door on it. No wine was left in it, and it made it perfect for the full moon night.

_Wych Elm_ was special for Kitty and Sirius, as it was on a weekend holiday here, six months after they'd begun their relationship, they first became intimate. Sirius had experience, he'd dated more and for more extended periods than she. For her part, Kitty had never done anything other than casually go to Hogsmeade on a Saturday or perhaps to a dance with a boy. After school, she was too busy to do anything other than attend Ministry functions, usually with James and Sirius as a trio or if she was forced to take an escort, Remus. Dating had never been comfortable for her. Subsequently, Sirius was the only person she'd ever made love to, and it remained that way. She couldn't decide if being here was a good thing or not. Their history with the home notwithstanding, it was perfect for a little boy.

The property was extremely modest by Fawley standards anyway. Just six bedrooms in the main house and only two outbuildings: Remus' cottage and the former barn now a garage/storage area. This home was also considerably closer to town, which might pose a problem, Kitty wasn't sure. Minutes after arriving, Remus had already gone to inspect his "safe space," even though the full moon wasn't for another eight days.

"I like this house," Harry said as he spun around in the sitting room. "More windows."

"That is true," Sirius said. "This place is much brighter than that old heap we usually live in." Kitty ignored his insult to her family seat and watched the pair of them. Sirius was now both spinning Harry and tossing him in the air. Kitty sighed and watched the two from a distance. She was unsurprised when Harry turned a lurid shade of green and proceeded to vomit on Sirius. Kitty might not have had any younger siblings, but she knew enough not to spin a recently eaten child. Harry was now crying and apologizing profusely.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Kitty said, wand already out and Banishing the mess from him, the carpet and sofa. "Look, no harm is done."

"But, I made a mess. Aren't you going to get mad at me? Aunt Petunia would -" Kitty pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"Whatever your aunt used to do to you is not what will happen ever again. In the Wizarding world, we do not hit or yell at a child as punishment. Furthermore, what just happened wasn't your fault – it's your Uncle Sirius's! He should have known better than to have spun you about not thirty minutes after you at two bacon sandwiches and three glasses of milk!"

"Auntie Kitty is right, as usual. I just remember how much you liked to fly when you were a baby." He had already cleaned himself up when he came to sit on the floor by the little boy.

"I flew!"

"Of course, you did, kiddo. Your father was a brilliant Quidditch player, and he had you up on a broom with him when you were only a few months old," Sirius explained. "I gave you your first broom on your first birthday."

"And your Mummy was not happy about it. She didn't realize your father had been taking you flying on his broom in the ballroom for months. She didn't know you'd ride with Sirius on his flying motorbike too."

"You have a flying motorbike?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"Well, I did, but –"

"It's in the garage at home," Kitty said plainly. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me about it."

"Merlin, I could have been on it this summer, and you never…I thought Hagrid might have broken it." Sirius said elatedly.

"Remus looked at it and thought you might want to check the suspension, and I swear he broke the seat. It felt wrong when I sat on it." Kitty replied.

"You sat on MY BIKE but didn't tell me where it was? Witch!" Sirius said as he lunged and playfully tackled Kitty, knocking her off her feet and then tickling her. Sirius had always loved Kitty's laugh, even when they were small. It was full-throated, deep, and joyful. Soon Harry joined in, and they were all soon a disorderly jumble.

"It would appear I missed something fun," Remus said bemusedly when he entered.

"You knew where my bike was?"

"Of course," he answered as he went to sit far enough away to not be pulled into the pile. "Who do you think Hagrid delivered it to? It's not like the Order members didn't know where I was living."

"Yeah," Sirius said with a confused look on his face. "Why didn't you tell me when I was first back?"

"Kitty and I had a bet on when you'd ask. She thought it would be before the first week was out, especially with the prints she put on your wall. I said two months figuring you'd be more worried about Harry and to right things with her. You owe me, Ms. Fawley."

"Would you like it in Gold, or shall I just add it to your monthly payment?"

"In my monthly pay is fine," Remus said with a chuckle.

"I just sicked all over Uncle Sirius," Harry said bluntly. Remus was immediately out of his chair, feeling Harry's forehead with his cheek.

"Should we contact Healer Binoche?" he asked.

"No. Harry was sick because Sirius was spinning him and throwing him in the air," Kitty explained, and Remus stood up and gently thwapped Sirius' shoulder.

"After breakfast? Rookie mistake," Remus added.

"Like you know much more about kids," Sirius complained as he pulled Harry into his lap. Harry loved to sit in Sirius' lap, and Sirius never minded the action.

"I tutor children not much older than Harry."

"Oh, yeah. Making us look bad, having two jobs and all," Sirius teased his friend.

"Speak for yourself, mister. I'm still a Spook."

"Don't remind me," Sirius said with a tinge of anger, and Kitty felt the need to table her questions for now, but she would find out what his attitude was about.

"Speaking of tutoring," Remus said, "I think it's time to let our four-year-old know what's going to happen with his education." Since this was Remus' forte, he would be leading it.

"I get a tut-tor?" Harry asked, mispronouncing the word.

"It's a tutor, and it's me," Remus said. "You and I will spend a few hours every day, covering things like reading, math, spelling, and science. You're a brilliant boy, and I think we can have fun with this."

"Will I get more new books?" Harry eagerly asked. Keeping Harry in reading material was proving to be a challenge. The little boy was so excited, he jumped up, narrowly missing Sirius' privates but still succeeding in kicking his inner thigh. Kitty stifled her laugh behind her hand.

"Yes, you will and on all sorts of topics, not just storybooks like we've been reading."

"I'll still get stories before bed, right?" Harry said, worried.

"Absolutely, buddy. Cuddle time before bed with stories is the best part of my day," Sirius said, and Harry hugged him. "You really need to join us, Remus. The bed is big enough." Remus chuckled.

"I may not have much of a love life, but sharing a bed with you, Padfoot has never been a dream of mine." The adults laughed, and Harry joined in cluelessly.

Three days later, while Remus had Harry outside learning about trees, Sirius searched for his girlfriend and found her in yet another library, sitting at a beautifully carved mahogany desk. She had an old book in front of her, and three letters opened. One appeared to be an official Ministry summons.

"What's happened now? He asked.

"It's been determined that the Muggle justice system cannot properly punish the Dursleys, so they're being charged under Wizarding Law. They'll be sent to a Wizarding prison when convicted. This," Kitty said, picking up the purple and red-backed missive, "is my summons to testify."

"The Dursleys won't last a day in Azkaban," Sirius said with a grin.

"No, they wouldn't, which is why they're going to HMP Elmsforth."

"I thought you said they'd be going to a Wizarding prison?" Sirius pulled over a chair and sat next to the desk. He'd been reprimanded twice for sitting on the older furniture in 'inappropriate' ways. He supposed the empty corner of said desk made that list.

"Elmsforth is a magically run jail within Her Majesty's Prison system. Most of the time, it holds people from magical families who lack true magical skill."

"Squibs."

"I detest that word. It's so pejorative. It makes people out to be nothing, a spark that went out in their family lives. Non-magical members of a Wizarding family are still people and members of said family."

"You sound like your father when you talk like that," Sirius said with a smile.

"Good. Anyway, since the most Vernon and Petunia can expect in the Muggle world is ten years, the Department of the Care and Treatment of Underage Witches and Wizards have determined that being charged under Wizarding law will be more punitive." Kitty didn't sound happy at this revelation; she wasn't even acting eased.

"What's the problem then, Katie?"

"Do you remember the name of the eighteen ninety-five law which made abusing a magical child illegal?" Sirius shook his head. "It's called _Meridee's Law_ named for Meridee Fawley. Her mother beat and cursed her until she died at the age of eight. She was the niece of my grandfather Fawley. Her mother was Triphyna Malfoy Fawley.

"I've been reading about her in the family history here," Kitty said, indicating the boon on the table. "Triphyna, like most Malfoys, thought she was entitled to genuflection from the people around her. She married my grandfather's brother, Marmaduke, who was indeed the Viscount of Kent and a close confidant of Queen Victoria. Triphyna gave birth to two children, although she was in her forties before she allowed herself to get pregnant – my grandfather had some choice words about this particular aspect of her behavior."

"Why?"

"Any noble wife has to quickly produce an heir and possibly a spare." Sirius still looked puzzled. "No one wants to lose the land or riches the family has amassed. Look at you, I'm quite certain your mother would rather that the Black fortune goes to your cousins, but it can't. You are the first-born son, so the fortune goes to you."

"They disowned me, Kitty."

She shook her head. "Obviously not, since half your father's vault went to you when your name was cleared. I think not letting you into the house and blowing your face off that wretched tapestry was enough."

"Huh. So, what about this tyrannifna relative of yours?"

"Triphyna, she was in her forties before she began having babies, and it was still a struggle for them to get pregnant. When she gave birth, and it was a daughter, she was crushed. Of course, Marmaduke loved the little girl thoroughly and named her Meridee because her mere presence made him merry. By all accounts, she was a beautiful, well-behaved delight of a child. Seven years later, the couple had a son, my uncle Trafford He's the one who died without an heir, hence making me the Lady of Kent as the only Fawley in my generation.

"My great-uncle Marmaduke was killed in a bizarre accident here at the house. He slipped and fell while getting out of the tub upstairs. The thing is, there were other people and elves in the house at the time, and no one heard him fall, or his cries for help. No one found him for eight hours. My grandfather insisted the MLE look into it, but no irregularities were uncovered. Marmaduke, the Viscount of Kent, died of blood loss. His son and heir was only six months old.

"The story goes that Triphyna did not handle widowhood well, especially when she was forced to participate in the full mourning period of a year. Without her shopping, parties, teas, and balls to occupy her time, she was forced to deal with her children. She was jealous of her children, the love, and praise the Fawley family heaped on Meridee and Trafford. No one knows exactly what happened the day Meridee died, but my grandfather found her in the garden nearly dead. He summoned his house-elf to get the baby and take him to the manor house, and he took Meridee to St. Mungo's. She died shortly thereafter. The law was named after Meridee because of the family's high profile and the extent of her abuse."

"It's too bad no one knew what went on in my house," Sirius said darkly.

"Monty tried to report your mum and dad, but your father was too well connected at the Ministry. The accusations never made it to the right people, or falsified accounts of the greatness of your home life were produced," Kitty explained.

"How did you know, and I didn't?"

"I'm sure Monty didn't want you to feel like a spectacle, especially since you were so cagy about your childhood. When James found out, he immediately told me. Monty made the two of us promise to never talk about it again. Fee," Kitty said with a sigh. "I think Fee always knew you and I needed more love. I would know nothing about how to mother if it wasn't for her."

"Did your parents curse you, too?" Sirius stood and wrapped his arm around her and sat on the arm of her chair.

"Curse, beat or otherwise mistreat me, no, but they ignored me. If I weren't being trained to be paraded out or shown off like some prize they'd won, I wasn't important. The Fawleys have been given so much, have so much, and all that really mattered was if they made the right impression. My father and I have developed a sort-of professional relationship, but it's not warm or loving. I am, as always, at a loss with my mum."

"We really are a pair of messed up magical nobles, aren't we?"

"Yes, but maybe that's why we love each other," Kitty said quietly. She'd not mentioned love since the day they'd first gotten back together. "I do love you, Sirius. I always have. My life is with you, regardless of having Harry in our lives or not. You're the only man I want to share everything with."

"Merlin, Katie, I'm the one who's supposed to bring up forever, not you. I was ready to propose to you, but then everything happened with Marlene, and then you were gone and … I carried that ring around with me every day, just waiting for you to come back. My plan was to apologize, and then I would ask you to marry me. It was in my pocket when I went after Wormtail."

"Was it in your belongings when you left Azkaban?" Kitty quietly asked.

"No," Sirius said confusedly. "It wasn't there."

"That's strange. It wasn't a family heirloom, was it?"

"Merlin's baggy y-fronts, no. It had belonged to Fee. When I told James that I was going to ask you, he said his mum had left me something for that purpose. Maybe it went back to the Potter vault, so it wouldn't go missing?"

"Maybe? Having something of Fee's would have meant so much to me. I can't believe 'Mr. I'm never being married because its shite' was going to propose." The couple had now stood and were standing entwined. Kitty's voice had grown softer, and while nothing had outwardly changed, she seemed more delicate.

"Katie Fawley, if marriage meant I would start and end every day with you, if you would be with me on the good days and the bad and have children with me that would look just like you; then it was a great thing." Sirius slipped both hands around her face. "I love you more than anything in this world."

After a long moment of staring at him, Kitty kissed him. It was passionate, as most of theirs were, but it was unrushed. Remus had Harry for the day, so the pair were free. Sirius kicked the chair away and directed Kitty to sit on the desk. He stepped between her legs, and she immediately anchored herself to him with her legs draped over his. The desk was the right height, so their bodies met up perfectly. He rolled his hips, and she enthusiastically responded in kind.

When his hand slipped under her thin sweater, he was surprised to find a bra made entirely of lace. He groaned in delight. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers seductively strumming the skin on the small of his back. Sirius said it was like having his tail petted, which always caused Padfoot to quickly change back, so he didn't hump the furniture.

Kitty was oblivious to the world; everything she knew was Sirius fondling her, grinding against her, and his lips and tongue wildly invading her mouth. When he broke the kiss to dip his head beneath her sweater, she stopped him.

"Not here," she moaned. "Not in the Library. Take me to our bed, please."

"You never need to beg me, never, my Katie," Sirius replied as he Disapparated the pair to the bedroom.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I'm going to upload twice a week, Monday and Thursday. I need to spend more time on my fourth novel, due out by Christmas. Thanks, MNF**

**Chapter 17:**

**Precious**

Harry's screams awoke Kitty from a sound sleep. Unlike at home, where Harry's bedroom was between Kitty's and Sirius's, at _Wych Elm Hill_, he was a bit down the hall. When she reached him, he was sitting up in his bed, terrified and staring at something she couldn't see on the wall opposite. Sitting on his bed, she wrapped her arms around him and began to rock back and forth while quietly singing.

Harry stopped screaming at her touch, but he was now crying and clinging to her. Soon he was in her lap, Kitty's gently swaying, and soft tones were enough to calm him. Ragged breaths became hiccups, which then faded into near-normal breathing. When she thought it was safe, Kitty reached for a tissue from the box on Harry's bedside table and cleaned off his face. She then gave him another one to blow his nose.

Remus and Sirius, both having also been awakened, stood in the doorway watching the scene.

"You couldn't put more on?" Remus asked his mate, noticing he was wearing just his pants.

"You've seen me in less," Sirius retorted. They'd shared a bathroom at Hogwarts for seven years. Plus, Sirius was known for walking around naked for no good reason in their room in Gryffindor tower. He'd only stopped when Lily and Kitty had nearly seen everything. They catch his full moon as he dove under the covers, surprisingly embarrassed.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean Harry wants to see you that way."

"Oh, right." Sirius turned and went back to his room and returned wearing a pair of pajama pants.

"Thank you."

Harry was calmer now, so the men came in sat on his big bed too. The room was supposed to be a guest room, but it was Harry's now, and they'd spent time each day redecorating it. The double bed had stayed.

"Sweetheart, can you tell me what upset you?" Kitty softly asked.

"There was a green flash, and Mummy screaming," Harry explained even as he started to get upset again. "Then the voice said no one loved me." Something registered a niggle in Sirius' brain, but he couldn't figure out what. He'd tried extremely hard not to think about James and Lily's murders, ever.

"Shh," Kitty whispered and began singing softly again. After a few minutes, Harry was slipping back into sleep, and none of the trio chose to break his relaxation. Five minutes and two Beatles songs later and Harry was dead weight and snoring lightly. Sirius helped Kitty slide the boy back between the sheets. They left his room, although none were prepared to return to their slumber.

"Tea?" Remus suggested, and the other two nodded. Soon they were all in the sitting room, Rumple upstairs keeping watch over Harry. At the first sign of another nightmare, they would be alerted.

"Two-seventeen," Sirius said after blowing on his tea to cool it. "Not my usual time to rise." The others agreed.

"He mentioned the voice again," Kitty said. "Any ideas what it is?"

"Small children often have imaginary friends," Remus suggested. "Harry's life hasn't been cheerful or easy, perhaps his imaginary friend is …" he trailed off.

"Voldemort?" It was Sirius who had been the first to say it, although they each thought it.

"Why would you think that?" Kitty asked. The couple sat on a couch together, Remus in a rocker across from them. Before Sirius could answer, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her just a bit closer.

"That night, the night they died, Lily was right in front of his cot. He saw Voldemort murder his mum. What he said up there, that no one loved him, Voldemort could have said something like that. I mean, he didn't give a frig about anyone else, if he could murder in cold blood – like he did – being mean to a one-year-old isn't out of the question.

"You know I met him, right?" Kitty looked at Sirius in shock, Remus just sadly nodded his head.

"Darling, I had no…why, didn't you tell me?"

"Katie, Luv, by the time we were together as a couple, it was like five years in my past," Sirius explained before kissing her forehead sweetly. "It was the spring of our fourth year, and I was at Grimmauld for Easter break. Father said we were expecting a distinguished guest for dinner, and we – Reg and me – weren't to embarrass him. When Voldemort arrived, I knew he was dangerous; I've never met someone who gave off such a creepy vibe. He didn't look quite human, you know, like us. His skin was incredibly pale, not English pale like you, my Katie, with perfectly blushed cheeks and deep red lips. He was like a paperwhite. His eyes were not entirely healthy, the colored part was missing, and they were red like he'd cried recently or was stoned.

"My father took orders from no one, not even his father or uncle, but he bowed to Voldemort. He didn't eat much food, but he did enjoy my father's most expensive red wine. I'd learned enough on propriety from Monty to not make jokes at the table, but that night it didn't even cross my mind to act up. If I'm honest, Reg and I just wanted out of the room, and we didn't agree on much of anything then. Didn't happen though, because after the elves had cleared the table, Voldemort dismissed the women from the room. He then started talking about this grand plan of his – Pureblood nobles running the country, enslaving the Muggle population. He even suggested he'd make the Queen grovel at his feet. We'd have no Muggle protection laws, so he gleefully talked about Muggle Hunts, like they used to have in the Middle Ages. It was sick.

"My father," Sirius spit the name out, "also promised me for his ranks on my sixteenth birthday. That was the day I knew I had to get out of there. Thankfully, Fee and Monty had an open-door policy about me being there."

Kitty couldn't find words, so she wrapped her arms around her lover.

"You need to tell her the rest," Remus urged. "You hid what you looked like when you came back to school from her."

"Remus, it was a long time ago, I don't need to talk about it."

"What is Remus inferring to?" Kitty quietly asked.

Sirius sighed heavily. "I must not have been perfect enough for my parents, because they both spent a fair bit of time hexing and cursing me after Voldemort left. Mother then threw me into the cellar and left me. Reg opened the door and let me out two days later. I got the Knight bus back to Hogsmeade and walked to Hogwarts."

"What? Is that all?" Sirius shrugged, but Kitty knew from his face he was still holding something back. She looked to Remus for clarification.

"Kitty, what he won't say is that his back was covered in boils, and his arms had cuts that had become infected. He walked back to school on a broken ankle. He had to stay in the hospital wing for the first two nights back, so Madame Pomfrey could heal him correctly."

"Oh, Merlin. How did I not know? You were still my best friend!"

"I begged James not to let you know. I didn't want the ugliness from my home –"

"You keep using that word, ugly. There is nothing ugly about you. There should never have been 'ugliness' you hid from me. I.." Kitty lost the use of words and held Sirius tightly. After a moment's lag, Remus looked at the clock and realized it was closing in on three.

"So, back to Harry. Now it might not mean anything," he said, "but he's always talked about the voice in the present tense, not the past. Do you think there might be a connection between Harry and whoever or whatever it is that you're tracking for work, Kitty?"

"Fuck!" Sirius said under his breath.

"I don't want to think about…" Kitty mused. "Would it even be possible?"

"Not sure," Remus confessed. "But we can certainly attempt to find out. Albus never thought Voldemort was gone for good."

"Well, I'm done sleeping for the night," Kitty said.

"I'm quite certain I can find a way to occupy our time until dawn," Sirius said suggestively and then kissing Kitty behind the ear.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave. We can talk more after breakfast?" Remus asked as he stood.

"I'll ask Cheery to occupy Harry in the kitchen," Kitty answered. "He seems to enjoy that." Sirius had not let up on leaving lingering kisses along her neck. Remus left before anything more graphic occurred.

A while later, the thoroughly satiated couple lay on the same sofa, a blanket casually covering their nakedness. Kitty lay between Sirius legs, her back, and head against his chest. She chose their lack of face to face interaction to pose a question to him.

"Darling, why were sleeping on the floor when Harry awoke?"

Sirius didn't answer for a long moment. "Sometimes, the bed is just too soft," he quietly explained. "I don't sleep through the night most of the time, and when I wake up, I find it's easier to get back to sleep on the floor. Tonight, when I woke up, I was in a particularly bad way. I was back in Azkaban. I had relived one of the worst of my early 'interrogations.'" Kitty remained quiet, her fingers stroking his forearms as they tightened around her.

"It was before I knew to do push-ups every day, so my arms could withstand being chained to the wall without dislocating."

"I wondered why you're more fit now than you were before you went, but I didn't want to ask because I was afraid the answer was something like this," Kitty interjected. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything, my Katie," Sirius stated. "I'd been tortured from the day I arrived, hexes, curses, even fists were used on me. I was even whipped one day by a relative of mine." Kitty shuttered as he spoke. "Anyway, I'd been tortured, then chained to the wall for two days. My shoulder had dislocated, and the guards came in to give me the first of my tattoos – the letters on my fingers and wrist – the not eating curse. Whenever I'd had mine done, the artist put a charm on my skin to reduce the pain and prevent infection. I had no idea how much it would hurt. Add to that what they were inscribing, my inability to stand, and my good shoulder bearing all my weight…it was horrific.

"When I woke up, it was just like I was there. I swear I could smell the odd mixture of rot, sea air, body odor, and desperation. I felt the stone wall and the shackles. My back and shoulder were screaming in pain and …" Sirius had become too emotional to finish. Kitty turned herself around and pulled his head to her shoulder.

"No more, do you hear me? You will never again go through something like that without waking me up. I want to help scare those demons away and remind you that you are safe, innocent, and never going back there. I love you, no limits, no exceptions, no questions. Your hell is mine too." Sirius had tears forming in the corners of his eyes at the power with which this witch loved him. He looked like he wanted to speak, but words were failing him.

"Now, I think I know how to remind you that you're alive and here with me." She shifted so her knees were on either side of Sirius' hips and her chest was in his face.

"Oh, Luv, I know exactly where I am right now. It's my favorite place to be," Sirius said reverently before he pulled Kitty to him.

Six days later, in a rather nondescript building in suburban London, Kitty, Healer Binoche, and Sirius sat behind the table with the attorney who was hired to work on Harry's abuse case and a member of the MLE Kitty didn't know having seen her at the office when she'd visited lately. The couple looked like a Muggle power couple, he in an immaculate navy suit and tie, she in a designer dress. Unlike when she picked Harry up at the café, her jewelry was understated.

Sirius had promised he would keep his tongue and let the courts do their job, but Kitty was concerned. Amelia was sitting as the judge. It resembled a Muggle courtroom, so the Dursleys would not know they were being judged by Wizarding folk.

Healer Binoche testified first, relaying the extent of Harry's abuse in clinical terms. Kitty followed, communicating the after-effects of the damage as they were building a family life. She was doing fine: calm, impenetrable, noble, and above the emotions which churned inside her. That ended, however, when prosecuting witch asked her about Harry's current emotional state.

"We think he's happy now, but there are times he is paralyzed by fear. Whenever there is an accident or makes a mistake, he is convinced that we will beat him or send him back. Sirius and I would never do that, he's the last, best part of James and Lily, and we could never…

"He's such a smart little boy – reads chapter books already – and he loves science," she said through her tears. "How could you possibly see him for anything other than the precious little child he is?" she asked Vernon and Petunia. "I swear to you, I will undo every bit of abuse you heaped on him. He is loved now."

"You freaks can have him," Vernon burst out, and his attorney rushed to quiet him. "Nothing but a nuisance and expense he was to us."

"And for us, he is the most important person in our lives, and there is no expense we wouldn't pay to make to ensure his future," Kitty said, her icy persona returned.

Petunia was given twenty years for verbal abuse and gross neglect as the top charges. Vernon was given thirty for physical abuse, verbal abuse, and gross negligence. Dudley had been conveyed into Muggle care and was placed with a loving family in Durham; their convictions allowed him to be adopted. The Dursleys would not see freedom until both boys were adults and capable of choosing whether to know them or not.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 18:**

**Get the Balance Right**

**Saturday, December 22, 1984**

**2:40 a.m.**

"I thought I was never going to get them to leave," Kitty complained as she entered the bedroom, she was again _sharing_ with Sirius. She had thrown the annual "Fawley Christmas Ball," her first time doing it without her mother. She had done a few things differently from her mother, grandmother, and the countless women who had been forced to hold the event for the oldest Wizarding families over the generations. She'd found the entire event abhorrent as a child and teen, her friends at least making it bearable. This year, she only had Sirius to rely on, and he'd been a wonderful cohost. Kingsley, with Amelia as his date, Dromy and Ted, Augusta and Algie and Molly and Arthur were the only guests she wanted to have in her home, and the eight never left Kitty and Sirius alone with people she'd worked to imprison or others who were part of Sirius' imprisonment.

"Please, you know they were going to stay as long as the kitchens kept producing food," Sirius said. "Might be rich as Midas, but Wizarding folk with gold wring every Knut out of anyone." Kitty took one more moment to look at him in his formal robes. He was undeniably handsome tonight, the bright red of his waistcoat the perfect hint at the holiday season, and a small twig of Holly accented the white rose of his boutonniere as well. "See something you like there, Lady Katie?"

Kitty looked away, blushing. It was now his turn to stare at her. When she'd come down the stairs after dressing – it took her nearly thirty minutes longer than him – his breath was taken from him. Her dress robes were white, with a full skirt that sparkled like piles of snow when she moved. The bodice, a bright red, wasn't made from a single layer of material, but dozens of extraordinarily thin ones. Some had small jewels or pearls sewn in, so it appeared that snow was falling onto her skirt. A white shawl of gossamer-thin silk rippled like wings when she walked, covering her shoulders and upper arms and knotted at the small of her back, and trailed behind her like a train. Kitty had commissioned the dress from a Muggle designer whom she'd discovered recently. Several women wore dress robes similar in style to the icy blue peek-a-boo ones she'd worn for Sirius' trial in an attempt to emulate Kitty, but no one in the room had seen anything like what she wore tonight, and many women were jealous. Huge dangling ruby earrings and a new pearl, diamond, and ruby crown were on her head.

The celebration, traditionally held on the night of Yule, welcomed the rebirth of the sun, longer days ahead, and the Wizarding community's promise to uphold each other and the Wizengamot for another calendar year. The ball had been hosted by the Peverell Family for centuries, but when the last true Peverell married into the Fawley family, the responsibility fell to the Fawleys. In the years Kitty was away, the Yaxley family - also related to the Peverell's, though more distantly - had attempted to replicate the grandeur; Kingsley had confessed it wasn't the same.

"I noticed your pre-pledge speech was more political than your father ever gave," Sirius commented, now only in his trousers. Kitty turned and smiled at his nakedness, no longer seeing the tattoos but the skin underneath. After the fuss of the holidays, the couple was going to seek information about possibly removing them. If that failed, they would cover or 're-write' them with new tattoos.

"Of course, it was," Kitty replied, "my father is a consummate diplomat. I'm not. My gut tells me that cooperation is going to be the key to the future. We have to be on the same page and believing the same things."

"You don't honestly think you'll get someone like my mother or Aunt Druella to believe in unity, do you?" Sirius said as he hung his robes back up.

"No, nor do I think families like the Yaxleys, Averys, Rosiers, or Mulcibers will ever be anything but bigots, but for the rest of us, there will be strength in numbers."

"Well, please don't be surprised if people aren't prepared to upend their society just yet. What you're hinting at will change some long-held prejudices." Kitty had magically removed her dress and sent it to the fourth floor, where Cherry would pack it away correctly. Unfortunately, she was unlikely to have a cause to wear the gown again. She now stood in her silk knickers, thigh-high stockings and bare up top, save two small daisy-shaped appliques.

"Katie, were you mostly naked under your dress?" Sirius asked excitedly and growing steadily more excited as he looked at her.

"No, these ensured there would be no accidental nipple viewings," she said as she peeled them off. "Brilliant invention of the Muggles."

"You could have used a spell," Sirius suggested. His arms wrapped around her from the back, and his hands covered her perfectly sized breasts. He was fully naked, firmly nestling against her silk-covered bum.

"I know, but if you move too quickly, glamour spells can slip, and I planned on dancing," she replied distractedly. His kisses on her neck were distracting. "Let me finish getting undressed, please."

"Leave the stockings on."

Two days later, it was Christmas Eve, and the adults were getting ready for the next day after Harry had gone to bed. Remus stood, sipping cocoa, and looking at the pile of presents the child had. He had a theory about where the exorbitant number came from. "Kitty, how many gifts did you get for Harry?"

"I think six," she answered. "Some clothes, a few new storybooks and a couple of age-appropriate toys Molly said he liked to play with when he was at their house. His stocking is full of silly socks and a new hat and Chocolate Frogs."

"Okay, I bought him a jumper and a few books plus a building bricks set. I saw one of the boys I tutor building with. The bricks interlock, so it has more stability than the wooden ones he's been building with," Remus explained.

"Those sound great," Kitty effused. "He loves to build things. So, if we've only put a total of eight or nine gifts under the tree, why is it overflowing? Ask Sirius. To his credit, he went to the Potter vault and took out a fair number of things which were his father's, but beyond that, he went overboard. Not only did he spend too much at the Wizarding Toy Store on Diagon Alley, he went into Muggle London and purchased things he could enchant. I haven't a clue what all is there, but we could hide half of it after Harry's opened it, and I doubt our boy would notice."

"You know, we're going to need to ensure Harry doesn't get an inflated ego," Remus quipped.

"As long as his friends remain who they are – Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna – I think we'll be fine."

"Are you excited to have them all for dinner tomorrow?" Remus asked, indicating they should sit. Kitty had been rearranging the decorations on the tree – there were far too many on the bottom branches and too few on the top. Harry's assistance in decorating only reached so far.

"I haven't thrown such a large dinner party. I assisted my mother, obviously, but it's nice to be able to do this for our friends and family. I certainly never planned any formal affair which would include children."

"Are you worried about the children?"

"No, especially if Harry is any indication. I've come to believe if you expect good behavior from children and you've given them the tools to behave, you will have good behavior."

"Even the Weasley twins?" Remus said skeptically.

"I believe they can behave, which is why one is seated next to their father with Kingsley on the other side, and the other is with their mother with you next to him. It should put a damper on pranks of any kind. Molly suggested it."

"Wise woman. I'm going to head down to bed," Remus said. He was planning to sleep in Sirius' old room, so he'd be here when Harry awoke. This would be Harry's first Christmas with gifts and people who loved him since he was a baby. No one wanted to miss a moment. Kitty agreed, took the dirty mugs to the kitchen, and then went to her bedroom, stopping first to check in on Harry.

"Why didn't you come out after you put Harry to bed?" Kitty asked when she saw Sirius sitting on the bed, fiddling with ribbons on a package.

"I only just finished," he explained. "I ended up giving him a little wave of a Sleeping Charm because he just couldn't settle down." Kitty smiled at Harry's excitement.

"That is exactly how it should be for a four-year-old wondering what Father Christmas will give him." Kitty began to undress when Sirius stopped her. She sat down on the bed, facing him.

"Can you open this now? It's special, and I don't want to do it in front of Harry."

"Okay," Kitty carefully broke the Spell-o Tape and pulled the leather-bound packet out of the paper. Opening it, Kitty was shocked to be reading a deed. More shocking, it had her name on it. "What did you do?"

"This was one of the things that was in my holdings from my father's death," he explained while pulling pictures and other information from behind the deed. "I struggled with what to give you, seeing you're richer than I am, and you don't seem to need anything. Then I remembered this land and…What's better than a house in Fiji? The property hadn't been developed, so I hired a firm to build a nice cottage there. It's not as large as the one the Cotswold's, but I think it will –" Kitty cut him off with a kiss.

"What possessed you to build a beach cottage?"

"I wanted a place for us to relax, away from the craziness at the Ministry and whatever they're hunting, and Amelia keeps sending packets for your opinion on. Just the four of us, sun, surf, swimming, little bikini bottom on your perfect arse," he said before giving her lingering kiss. "Do you like it?"

"You gave me an island house, of course, I like it. The closest my family came to this is the house off Brittany, France. Oh, please tell me we can go soon," she asked, although it sounded a bit more like a plead.

"What did I tell you, Lady Katie, you never need to beg of me," Sirius said before kissing her.

The next morning Harry was up earlier than usual; at four-thirty, he bounded into Kitty and Sirius' room and flung himself into the middle of the bed. Thankfully, Sirius had expected this behavior, and wore flannel pajama bottoms to bed, along with a green Kenmare tee. It wasn't his favorite Quidditch team, that would always be the Wasps, but it was James', and it matched the Christmas plaid of the pants.

"Wake up, it's Chrisss-masss!" Harry cheered. "I gotta see if Father Christmas came!"

"Okay, Harry. We can get up," Kitty said gently. "Why don't you go use the loo and then wake Uncle Remus up. Then we can meet near the tree."

"'Kay!" he said before turning himself around and then wiggling off the bed and running off.

"How does he have that much energy at this hour?" Sirius asked, grabbing his pillow and putting it over his face. Kitty picked it up and put on her side of the bed.

"Because it's Christmas morning. I'll bet you twenty Galleons he's asleep on the floor before eleven."

"I'll take that bet," Sirius said. "He's going to run all day."

The couple got out of bed and walked hand in hand into the living room, Rumple having already coordinated the fairies to light the tree. Cherry had coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and croissants ready for the adults – Harry probably wouldn't eat until they sat down for Cherry's special Christmas bread and eggs after presents.

An hour later there was a mountain of wrappings on one side of the tree and on the other a mountain of presents. Only one large one remained for Harry, and Kitty was worried she knew what it was. The miniature leather jacket Sirius had already given his godson made her suspicious.

Harry tore into the wrappings, throwing them everywhere until he fully revealed the child-sized motorcycle. It was a miniature Vincent Black Shadow, the chrome shining as brightly as Sirius' bike.

"Please tell me that bike doesn't –" Remus started to ask.

"Of course, it does!" Sirius answered before the whole question was asked. "Harry get on, I want to show you how it flies!"

"He already has a junior broom," Kitty attempted to protest, but she knew it was hopeless to do so. Sirius had him on the bike and zooming around the room before she knew it. Harry took to it like he'd taken to broom flying, naturally and with high speed. He nearly took out his Uncle Remus.

With Harry happily playing in the large room, the adults exchanged their gifts. Remus gave Kitty a pretty sweater and scarf from a shop in _Wych Elm _villageshe was known to frequent for the simple clothes she preferred around the house. Kitty and Sirius went together and purchased him a set of books about the History of Magic from around the world and a new potions kit.

Knowing there was nothing she could buy Sirius that he didn't already have, Kitty instead collected photos and other memorabilia from their Hogwarts days and made him a memory box. All three of them enjoyed looking through the things Cherry had helped her locate. Sirius surprised Kitty with a blue diamond necklace and earrings set that matched her eyes.

"So, last night, Uncle Sirius gave me a gift too big to go under the tree," Kitty said when the quartet sat down to eat their breakfast at the usual hour of eight. "He gave me an island house. How would you like to spend a few weeks on the beach this winter?"

"I've never been to the beach," Harry cheered. "Will there be sand?"

"Yes," Sirius answered. "It's a pre-requisite for a beach."

"Can you teach me to swim?"

"Absolutely," Kitty answered. "We'll need to check if your swimming costume from this summer still fits. I think you've grown two inches since then." Harry smiled proudly, his eggs falling off his fork.

"You're coming too, right, Uncle Remus?" Remus stammered a bit before Sirius answered.

"The house has three bedrooms. Our whole family is going to go."

After breakfast, Harry wasn't allowed to fly as Cheery and Rumple needed to prepare the larger dining room, attached to the ballroom where Harry did his flying, for the guests. Instead, he chose the bricks Uncle Remus had purchased, and he quietly set about building a castle. Kitty and Sirius were piling up his gifts, some behind the tree, some into his bedroom, and a few going to the fourth floor to be pulled out over the year; Remus was going through the wrappings to ensure nothing had been lost. He'd found two chocolate frog cards Harry was happy to have won amongst the garbage.

Only Sirius was surprised when they looked over at nine-thirty-two, and Harry was asleep on the carpet.

"I'll take my winnings in an in-kind trade, thank you," she whispered. He could only imagine what that might be.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: This chapter is pretty much because I wanted to write something happy. Enjoy, my beta Arnel says it's full of fluffy sweet stuff. MNF**

**Chapter 19:**

**Perfect**

Kitty and Sirius were lying in the bungalow's chaises, watching Harry and Remus build a sandcastle. Unfortunately for them, the tide had turned and was just beginning to wash onto the shore. Within an hour or so, their castle would be withstanding the full force of the waves. The laughter had long ago drowned Remus' science lesson about strong bases and why damp sand worked better.

They'd been in Fiji for two days and had eight more to go, and Kitty thought it might be the most perfect place she'd ever been. It was different from the beaches she'd frequented in New Zealand; here the trees went almost to the edge of the water, and because they were on their own small inlet, the swells were more modest, and no surfers tried to engage the waves.

"What happened to that little blue bikini you had on last night?" Sirius asked, taking in her modest one-piece swimming costume with large pink hibiscus flowers on it. They'd all purchased more swimwear when they'd arrived on the island since Remus had none, Harry had just the one pair, Kitty only had two older suits and Sirius just had a tiny red Speedo. Kitty wore one of her old outfits today.

"The blue bikini you picked out for me is fine if we are swimming alone at night. However, during the day, I'd prefer not to have Remus see that much of my breasts or bum. It was bad enough having the conversation with Harry this morning about why you have hair on your privates, and he doesn't."

"He didn't ask you that?" Sirius said, rolling onto his side to look at her.

"Oh, he did," Kitty confirmed. "He then asked me why your penis took up so much more of your swimsuit than his did. I explained both by saying when he was a grown-up, he would look more like you and Uncle Remus. I was not prepared for these conversations with our four-year-old."

"You sure we should be calling it a penis with him?"

"What would you have him call it?" Sirius didn't answer. "Exactly. What I've read on the subject says we should call body parts by their proper names."

"So, what do we call your body parts?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"I know what you call my body parts," Kitty said with a blush and a grin. "However, mine doesn't have a name just yet as he's never asked about them. I have breasts, but he'd uninterested in what's below; they're just my privates. I can stay that way until he's older, and then Remus can give him the young wizards talk."

"Wait, I want to give it."

"Then, you can do it together."

"Why?" he whined.

"I don't want you to overwhelm the boy with excess information."

"Fine," Sirius huffed, rolling on his back.

Kitty's thoughts turned back to the nightmare Harry had experienced the night before. She still felt her heart stop at the first of Harry's blood-curdling screams, but she regained her thoughts faster now. The words he'd mumbled as he had come back to reality hadn't left her. There was something important about them, she was sure.

"Sirius, what do you think Harry meant by snake venom and unicorn blood? How would he even know what those things are?"

"Katie, if I knew what they meant, I would tell you," he said petulantly.  
"Look, both substances are magical, but you already knew that. There's some potion niggling in the back of my mind that uses them or one of them, at least," Sirius confessed. "It's a memory of something from those bigots I grew up with, but I can't remember."

"Well, when we get home, we can look in the library," Kitty said.

"I don't think your family library is going to have what I need," Sirius confessed. "You have a few questionable books, but nothing truly Dark. Unicorns are protected species because so much of their bodies can be used in Dark spells. Nothing good is coming from a need for unicorn blood."

Before the couple could speak more about illicit potion ingredients, an owl appeared, dropped a group of packages onto the sand next to Kitty, and left. Sirius had already pulled his wand and had it trained on the delivery. Similarly, Remus had picked up Harry and put him on his back, piggy-back style. Kitty took in the scene, not realizing how jumpy they'd all become. Her wand was in her hand, as well.

She put her wand back down and looked at the pile.

"Relax, that was my father's owl," she said. "Hermes never lingers. He's trained to be at the ready should Daddy need to send important missives. They've sent Christmas presents."

"Kitty, Christmas was a long time ago," Harry said. It had only been two weeks, but she supposed it was a long time for a little boy.

"Yes, I know," Kitty agreed. "I'm sure they were busy." There was a letter for her, as well as one gift for each of them. It appeared to be books for the gents and something soft for her. Remus' was on French magical beasts, Sirius' about French brooms, and Harry's a book of French children's tales. They were all in French, which only Kitty and Sirius spoke and read. Kitty opened her gift, and it was a scarf. She attempted to look amused at the gifts, but Sirius could see behind her smile.

"Well, aren't we all lucky," she said with a smile the men could see through. "Why don't I put these away inside, and then I can get some lunch together."

"You're going to call Cherry, aren't you?" Harry questioned her.

"No, I am more than capable of making sandwiches and cutting up fruit, Harry." It came out sharper than she'd wanted, turning, and taking the presents and went inside.

Remus found her crying in the small kitchen. "You don't need to hide in here to cry," he said softly, hugging his friend.

"I don't want Harry to see me upset."

"He knows you're upset, that's why I'm here with you and not Sirius. Sirius is telling Harry a story about Monty and Fee and how they cared for the two of you when you were in school."

"My parents didn't beat me, not like Orion and Walburga –"

"No, but they weren't there much, were they? You were dropped off at King's Cross for the first few years by your governess and then by the Potters. I don't think they ever saw you off."

"The ICW courts began their sessions on September first. Once Daddy was working in diplomacy, he had to be there. It wasn't bad, Madame Allard had been with me since I was six, so having her drop me off made sense," Kitty said. "Compared to Harry or Sirius, there was nothing wrong with my childhood." Remus looked at her with sadness.

"I don't want Harry to suffer because neither Sirius nor I know what to do with a small child, not in the way we should."

"Kitty, you're remarkable with Harry; better than you think you are. When I watch you with him, I don't see your governess, I see Fee. You were the daughter she always wished to have. Whatever pain your parents might have inflicted, are still inflicting, know you were loved by the Potters."

"You're a brilliant friend, you know," she said, still a little weepy, but better than before. "I went years without crying, now I'm a faucet."

"Ice Princess Kitty isn't you, regardless of who you think you need to be. You only wear that skin because you think it will please your parents. You're nearly twenty-five, stop trying to please them," Remus said gently.

"I'm, it's, uh, it isn't like that," she stammered. "I don't wear her like skin."

"Kitty, you do. When you're home with us, you're someone much more natural. There are moments when I need to remind myself Fee is gone, and it's you there tying Harry's shoelace or holding his face to tell him he's loved. That is the real Kitty, Kitty Potter. Go out with Sirius and Harry, let them know you're okay. I'll put lunch together." Kitty wanted to object, but her mind was too full of other things.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and went out to be with her boys. Looking up at the sky, she whispered to her dead friends, "I'm trying. I want to be what you'd be for him. Give me a nudge if you think I need it. Miss you."

After their beach holiday, it was hard to return to reality, but staying in Fiji for the winter wouldn't have been responsible. Remus still had other students to tutor. Additionally, he was now going to be teaching Neville, Ron, and Ginny too. At Christmas dinner, Harry told anyone who would listen about his tutoring and all the things he was learning. By the end of the night, Molly and Augusta were begging Remus to take on their sons. Ginny wormed her way into class, saying she was just as smart as the boys and deserved to learn. She was the only one able to read full sentences when Remus tested her, so she stayed with the group.

Today is Remus' birthday, and his four young charges wanted to have a surprise party for him. Harry politely asked Cheery to make him his favorite cake – lemon cake with raspberry filling and whipped cream on top – so they could sing for him. Kitty and Sirius encouraged the young quartet, seeing how it was Remus' twenty-fifth birthday. At Harry's not so subtle cue of "Now!" the children began singing while Kitty and Sirius brought the cake and gifts out.

_"For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us!"_

Remus was quite surprised and touched his little pupils would think of him. With cake and milk served to the children, and cake and tea for the adults, Remus began opening his presents. Neville had purchased a lovely quill for him that automatically refilled the ink.

"Neville, how practical. Thank you so much."

"Uncle Algie helped me buy it. I told him you write lots of things, so a quill was a good gift," Neville explained, puffing out a bit. Remus had seen a real improvement in his attitude since starting. He was more willing to raise his hand and answer questions while still being a kind and thoughtful child.

"It is thank you very much." Remus next opened the package from Ron and Ginny and was pleased to find a pair of socks Molly must have knitted. They were red with a lion face on them.

"Sorry they're homemade," Ron said. "We don't have lots of money to spend on things." Ron was looking down at his plate, pushing the crumbs around it.

"Ron, Ginny, I love these socks! I like that your mum made these just for me. Did you help pick out the wool or the pattern?" Remus gently asked.

"I knew you were in Gryffindor," Ginny piped up, "just like my big brothers."

"You're right, I was in Gryffindor, and I am immensely proud of that."

"She wanted to put a Snitch on them," Ron said sheepishly, "but I reminded her you didn't play Quidditch. It was Sirius who did."

"I only mentioned that once, good remembering Ron. Just like Neville put thought into his gift, it sounds like your sister, your mum, and you put thought into this gift. That's what makes something special."

"Here, Uncle Remus, open this one," Harry said, pushing the box he had wrapped toward his uncle. "Auntie Kitty and Uncle Sirius helped me with it." Remus lifted the lid to find a picture frame made of shells surrounding a picture of the four in Fiji. They were posed around the best of the sandcastles that Harry and Remus had produced. Kitty had a special enchanted camera that hovered in the air like a Quaffle so they could all be in the picture. They waved at the camera, and just before the flash went off, Sirius turned to kiss Kitty's cheek.

"This is wonderful," Remus gushed.

"Yup and Sirius and Kitty said that every year when we go back, we can take a new one. We can have a new picture of our family every year."

"Harry, I think that's the best idea I've ever heard. Thank you," he said as he pulled his nephew to him and hugged him tightly.

When the little students went home for the day, the family dressed for dinner, as Kitty liked them to do on special occasions. They feasted on steak and kidney pie, Remus' favorite, and then a special chocolate and cinnamon tart for pudding. After they'd all eaten, Kitty and Sirius handed their friend a scroll. Unsure what it could be, he removed the ribbon and unfurled the paper.

"This is too much," he murmured.

"No, it's not," Sirius said. "You've been eyeing them up in the Muggle papers for months.

"A used one, not a brand new one."

"Think of it having extra years to enjoy it," Kitty said.

"You'll be happy to know I've made some special magical modifications," Sirius said.

"Please tell me it doesn't fly." Remus looked worried by Harry was delighted by the idea.

"Of course, it flies," Sirius said. "What would be the point of having a car if it didn't fly." Remus went to the windows to see an Audi 200 sitting near his home. It was in the dark blue he'd been thinking about. He wanted it just to go to town or out somewhere that didn't involve magic. One of his families was worried about him walking to their home in the poor weather. He was also loathed to tell his friends that doing magic, like Disapparation, was very hard for him after his monthly change. If there was an emergency, he wanted a way to get from here to there. He guessed that problem was solved.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 20:**

**So Much Love**

**July 2, 1985**

The newest packet of information arrived early this morning, and Kitty was in the magical library trying to decipher the items in the pictures. There had been a raid on Cuthbert Avery's home in Yugoslavia, and the items in the photographs had been confiscated. Most of them had been identified; there were three in the Department of Mysteries being studied. The pictures of two liquids, however, worried Kitty.

After Harry's mentioning of Unicorn Blood and Snake Venom in one of his bizarre nightmares, Sirius had gone to the Black Family Vault and taken every book on Dark Artifacts and Dark Potions he could find. His mother had passed a month ago, and he now owned entirely the Black family's riches and their many homes here and abroad. Sirius and James had become close to Alastor Moody during the war, and Sirius sought him out regarding curses on the properties. Understanding that most curses died with the caster, there were some which could be cast to hold long after death. Sirius wanted proof he wouldn't be hexed or cursed just for walking into the place. Though he was in 'retirement,' Moody had agreed to check out Grimmauld Place and the Black's summer home on Jersey, _Nuit Noire. _It might be pleasant to go to the beach for a week this summer, and away from the crowds in Brighton where Kitty's summer home was. His family home had a private beach.

Sirius wasn't terribly keen on Potions. James had come to it naturally; he'd been brewing with his parents since he was a child and probably started Hogwarts at a third-year level. Lily excelled as well, claiming it was like cooking. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of ingredients and how they interacted. The rest of their bunch did okay, but none of them were naturals at it. Kitty had virtually given up brewing anything; instead, choosing to pay for a professional to brew and automatically stock her home Potions case. Her work case was stocked by the Ministry in the same way. Sirius willingly admitted that he'd lost most of his school lessons in everything save Transfigurations, Charms, and Defense; life in prison required little Magical theory or potion formulas.

Remus continued to brew simple potions but didn't touch the _Wolfsbane Potion_ brewing. He 'paid' Kitty to have it in her kit each month, but she confessed he was only paying about a tenth of the real cost. She insisted on his taking it when it became available earlier this year, regardless of the cost. She claimed it was a safety precaution for Harry. Remus accepted her reasoning and stopped fussing over the price when they'd agreed on his portion. Full moon nights were nothing like they had been. Sirius slept on a large dog pillow while Remus sometimes prowled but mostly slept on a mattress in the former coal storage bin of his home.

With his mind on potions and a werewolf, Sirius went to find his lover. He'd accept she was being drawn back into work, although she'd asked to stay in the country since she now had a small child. Analyst work wasn't as exciting, but it was safer. The only time she'd leave the UK would be to visit one of the magical courts in Europe; Kitty was born with credentials the Ministry couldn't duplicate. She walked in the front door of the castles, and nearly everyone would bow to her superior rank. He chuckled at the reality of his princess, not dressed in finery and having servants care for her; instead, he found her in one of his tee shirts, tied at the side, so it wasn't a dress. He loved how it showed off just a hint of her midriff, immediately desiring his lips on her smooth skin. The cutoff jeans showed her long, tanned legs and feet bare, with hot pink toenail polish. She was as sexy in this outfit as she was in lingerie.

"Hey," she said when he came into view. "Do you know what any of these things are? I don't recognize them, but Potions isn't my thing."

"The Aurors were sure they're Potions related?" Sirius asked, leaning over her to look at the photos. The person handling them in the picture was wearing dragon hide gloves, thick ones from their look. The object was turned to the sides, so all was visible.

"They were found in the Potions lab, so it's a safe assumption."

"Sorry, although this one looks familiar," Sirius said, pointing at the third picture. "Like I saw it as a kid."

"In Monty's workshop, maybe?"

"No, more like when I still lived with my wretched parents. Once I get the all-clear from Alastor, I'll start searching that place for Dark items and purging them. We might need a place in London someday. I want it safe to be in." Kitty nodded, still perplexed by the pictures.

"Oh, this was in my packet," she said, withdrawing a small envelope from under other papers and pictures. "Amelia said it was found in the bottom of a desk in the MLE department with your name on it."

Sirius opened the small tie closure and was surprised to find the ring he'd been carrying when he was arrested. Someone had put it aside for safekeeping, although he didn't know who. Kitty was so distracted by her work she didn't even ask what it was as Sirius slid it into his pocket. He'd looked at other rings, but nothing felt as right as the one from Fee Potter. All he needed now was the right time and place to ask her.

Later that night, the family had gone into the village for ice cream, and they were walking back in a leisurely fashion. Several people said hello to Remus, and one of his pupils ran up to him to share a story about her cat, Kittypaws, becoming pregnant and was having kittens any day. The girl, Emily, was eight and offered Harry a kitten on the spot. Harry looked up at his three guardians. Sirius looked particularly horrified at the possibility; Padfoot wasn't a fan of felines.

"Emily, that is a very kind offer," Kitty answered first, "but we already have a doggy living with us."

"Not all the time," Harry piped up. Sirius was shaking his head at Harry, given the little girl wouldn't understand about Animagus transformations. Something must have dawned on Harry, and he chose to keep quiet.

"You could have a cat and a dog," Emily suggested.

Remus knelt to be eye level with her. "Our doggy doesn't have the right temperament to live with a cat. Anyway, we have a Kitty," he said, pointing to her.

"Your name is Kitty?"

"Well, that's what people call me. My real name is Ekaterina."

"I can see why you chose Kitty. My real name is Emerson, but I like Emily better. Emerson was my mummy's last name before she married my daddy."

"Thank you for offering a cat to us, it was very polite," Harry said. The three adults were in unison in their pride at how Harry was acting. It had been nearly one year since he came to live with them, and in that time, he had blossomed into a kind, loving, and smart little boy.

"We should go. We have a long walk home," Kitty said.

"Where do you live?" Emily asked, her father had now joined her and had greeted Remus warmly.

"That big house on the hill," Harry said proudly.

"Ah, so you're Lady Fawley," Emily's father, Walter, said.

"I am, it's a pleasure to meet you," She offered her hand, and he shook it warmly. She then introduced Sirius. He noticed she'd straightened her back and lifted her head. His Kitty was replaced with the more formal Lady Fawley.

"Thank you for all you've done for the village. The new surgery has been so helpful. We don't have to drive to Carlisle any longer, and it's meant a great deal to us."

"I'm quite pleased I was able to help. If you think of any other way we can improve life for those living in the village, please pass it along to Remus. I'm in contact with the village council to implement what I can, but I'm open to others' ideas."

"Thank you," Walter said. "You're certainly more active than your father was." Kitty didn't like the backhanded insult to her father but said nothing.

"My father works in France and has for many years. I think that's why he transferred the deed and responsibilities to me. I work here, and I chose to live here. It's a wonderful place to raise Harry."

"Which one of you is the daddy?" Emily asked.

"I don't really have a dad or a mum," Harry said. "My mummy and daddy were killed when I was a baby. I live with my Auntie Kitty, Uncle Remus, and Uncle Sirius now."

"That's very sad to hear, Harry. I don't think I'd like to not have my daddy. My mummy left us a long time ago and lives in Spain now," Emily explained.

"We'll let you get going," Walter said, "but maybe we can set up a playdate for these two?"

"We'll see," Sirius said, speaking up for the first time. "Thank you for the invitation." Walter nodded and then took Emily by the hand, and they headed back toward the village while Harry and his guardians resumed their way out of the village and home. Harry chatted brightly as they went, but Sirius was contemplative most of the walk.

"You manage everything, don't you?" he said to Kitty when Remus had put Harry on his shoulders.

"I have a staff to help me manage it," Kitty confessed. "I'm more involved with the village's care than my father was, but it's generally handled through my Muggle assistant and accountant."

"No, Katie, you're incredible." He then dropped onto one knee. "I thought I needed the perfect moment to do this, but honestly, right now is as close to perfect as we can get with our clothes on." Kitty softly chuckled and shook her head. Remus had turned around, realizing the other two were lagging.

"Why is Uncle Sirius on the floor?" Harry asked.

"Just watch, Harry," Remus said, beaming.

"My Lady Katie, will you please marry me?"

"Yes," Katie whispered.

Sirius stood up and pulled the ring from his pocket. Kitty admired it for a long moment. The ring Fee had left for Sirius in her will was her first-anniversary gift from Monty. The central stone was a round opal that stood high and cast rainbows onto their face. Surrounding the opal were tiny round diamonds, sparkling brightly in the setting sun. The opal met the band on the sides, graduated baguette diamonds were set, throwing longer sparks of brilliance. The overall effect was magical. Sirius slid the ring onto Kitty's finger and being magical, it was immediately sized to her finger. He kissed her passionately as Harry ran over and wrapped his arms around their legs.

Kitty broke the kiss. "Sirius, I don't feel so –"

Kitty fell to the ground, unconscious.

**Author's Note: The next chapter will be up on Monday (or earlier if I write ahead). My beta, Arnel, called me evil. I wish I could say sorry. MNF**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Please make sure you have read chapter 20 before proceeding with this chapter. Thanks, MNF**

**Chapter 21:**

**Corrupt**

"What happened?" Remus yelled, setting Harry down on the ground. The little boy was staring at Kitty, standing like a pillar.

"I don't know, I proposed, and then she just," Sirius answered. "Katie, come on, Katie. Honey, you need to wake up." He looked up at his friend, "Get him out of here. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's." Sirius picked her up, and then they were gone. Remus looked around quickly, glad to see no one was near them, and then he picked up Harry and Disapparated to the doors to the Manor House.

"Stupid magical doorway," he hissed before rushing into the house and then Apparating to the first floor, setting Harry down in the sitting room. He knelt, and took in the cold, almost frozen look on Harry's face. Concerned the little boy was going into shock, he summoned Kitty's potions box, hoping a small dose of _Draught of Peace _would do the trick and bring Harry back to a healthy state of mind. He held the little cup out for Harry, and he drank it down.

"My servants are everywhere," Harry said in a deep, halting tone. He then swayed and fell forward into Remus. The man laid the little boy down carefully, listening for his heartbeat and then his breathing, thankful they were both there in a steady form.

"Harry, Harry, please wake up," Remus said, gently stroking his face. Harry screwed up his face a bit before his eyes opened.

"How did we get home?" Harry immediately asked. "What happened to Auntie Kitty? Where is she? Where is Uncle Sirius?" He'd sat up quickly while questioning his uncle and tilted a bit. Remus put a reassuring hand on his back.

"Uncle Sirius took Auntie Kitty to see a doctor," Remus explained.

"Doctor Binoche?"

"No, I don't think he took her to Doctor Binoche," Remus said, knowing Sirius wouldn't have gone all the way to France. "Probably somebody here in England."

"Okay. What's wrong?" Harry asked, then began to cry, and Remus pulled the boy onto his lap and held him tightly, rocking back and forth like Kitty did when he had a nightmare. He hummed a bit, but he couldn't sing like she did.

"I wish I knew," he confessed. Remus called for Cherry. "Kitty collapsed, and Sirius has taken her to St. Mungo's. Would you see if there's any information on her yet?"

"I will, but first, Rumple," Cheery said with concern. Her house-elf husband appeared and quickly surveyed the scene. "Lady Fawley has taken ill and is at St. Mungo's." Rumple snapped his fingers, and the shutters to the windows closed with a snap as they latched. Doors on the ground floor had an additional, unseen lock engage and a green light filtered from ceiling to floor around them. With the spell complete, Cheery disappeared with a crack.

"The house is secured," he said to Remus. "Only those who are keyed into the spells will be allowed in. I will stay with you and Master Harry, Master Remus."

"When this protocol is enacted, who can come in?" Remus asked.

"Just you, Master Harry, Master Sirius, Lady Fawley, the Duke and Duchess, and Lady Bones." Remus raised his wand and cast his Patronus Charm and sent it to Amelia. She would be needed at St. Mungo's, as it was she who returned the ring to Sirius. Remus picked up a now much calmer Harry and carried him to his bedroom. Together they picked out a story, and Remus settled on the floor, Harry on his bed, to await news.

Thankfully, it was a quiet night at the A & E department at St. Mungo's. Sirius' appearance with the unconscious Kitty in his arms and his yell for help brought medi-witches and Healers running toward him. While some transferred Kitty onto a gurney and began taking her vitals, others questioned Sirius about what happened.

"Get that large ring off her finger and take it to the laboratory to check for spells, curses, and potions," a portly healer yelled after Sirius explained the sequence of events leading up to Kitty's collapse. Sirius followed Kitty's gurney as far as allowed, but he was kept outside by an orderly once she was in a bay. He was directed to sit in a chair just to the left. Suddenly Cheery was at his side.

"Master Remus told me what happened," the little elf told Sirius. "I will be by my Mistresses side and send reports to Rumple so the others may know. If you need me, just call for me." Then Cheery faded and blended in with the walls, although Sirius knew she was there so he could see her outline. She slipped into the room unnoticed. He was surprised when Amelia came in and walked straight toward him.

"Amelia, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked as he stood to greet her. Reinforcements were coming from everywhere it seemed.

"Remus sent me a Patronus telling me Kitty was here, and he thought it might be because of the ring. Tell me everything that happened," she commanded even as her dictation quill was out of her bag and hovering over a small notebook.

Sirius recounted the evening, the ice cream, and their speaking with Emily and Walter before proposing and her dropping to the ground.

"You don't think it was the Muggles, do you?" Amelia asked, harkening back to the days when Death Eaters would _Imperius Charm_ or use Polyjuice to get close to Aurors and then kill them.

"I don't think so," Sirius said honestly. "If they'd been Imperiused, we would have seen it in the eyes. As to Polyjuice, Walter talked about Kitty's father, things in the village only a long-time resident would know."

"Essentially rules out Polyjuice," Amelia agreed. "The physical appearance changes, but you need to know the life of the person you're impersonating to carry on a conversation about anything of substance. So, it sounds like it was the ring. If the laboratory here doesn't decipher how it was tampered with soon, I'll send it to my people."

Sirius nodded, then asked, "How did it come to be in your possession? I had the ring on me when I was arrested, but it wasn't with my things when Kitty rescued me from Azkaban."

"I've been doing an overhaul of the various MLE departments. Cornelius Fudge is no longer the head of the Hit Wizards, I promoted Elisabetta Abernathy. Fudge is now coordinating the MLE Patrol. I also moved a few people I know I can trust in key positions within the Auror department. Kingsley is now the Deputy Head Auror for National Investigations, and I was planning to promote Kitty to Deputy Head for International Investigations. It will keep her in the UK for the most part and allow her to liaise with those on missions, their handlers, and the analysts. Whatever is going on in Yugoslavia has me worried."

"Wow. Fudge must not be happy about being demoted," Sirius said.

"He oversaw the group that brought you in, and he didn't question why you didn't have the Dark Mark or any other corroborating evidence that you were a Death Eater. Regardless of what Albus said, an investigation should have taken place, and it didn't. Your release and subsequent trial were an embarrassment to the Ministry, but it was also a costly one. He's paying for that now. But back to the ring," she said while waving a hand to wipe clean the imaginary slate she'd been writing on.

"We were cleaning out desks, shuffling people about, and had a box for found items. My assistant was sorting through them this morning. She recognized the evidence bag and was going to return it to the locker, but when she saw your name on it, she chose to give it to me. I just happened to be sending Kitty more evidence, so I enclosed it. I did transfer it from the evidence bag to the envelope you received it in. I had a feeling it was intended for Kitty. Was it a family heirloom? Could your family have cursed it?"

"It is a family heirloom, but not from the Blacks. It's a ring Fee Potter had left for me in her will. James gave it to me when I said I was going to propose to Kitty. It was clean when I was given it," Sirius explained. "Monty had given it to her on their first anniversary."

"Well, then, it would appear we have quite a mystery on our hands. I'm calling Kingsley in on this and putting a guard on her. What about her home? Should I send guards there?" Amelia asked.

"I don't think you'll need to. Katie, in this case, Lady Fawley has bonded with her home, bloodline, and ancestors," Sirius explained. "Her house-elves will enact the spell when Remus tells him she's been brought here. Remus and Harry should be safe." Amelia nodded and then flicked her wand and awaited her Aurors. Sirius sat back down and tried to clear some nasty cobwebs from his head.

Bonding oneself to your family seat, bloodline and ancestors was something witches and wizards from old noble families did. It was especially crucial for someone like Kitty to be head of her family. She was young and gifted her ascendancy, rather than obtaining it through her father's death. Anyone who claimed to be in the Fawley bloodline would always defer to her decisions, lest they were ejected from their family. Even her parents would need to follow her instructions on magical matters while they were on English soil, as they had forfeited their rights when they gave Kitty her home and all it entailed. The only reason she was not yet the duchess was due to Muggle laws rather than Magical ones.

The process of binding one to their home meant that in times of distress, like being hospitalized, the house would protect all those living it. It also told that those bonded to Kitty, Fawley family members, would be advised to be careful, or put up their own defenses. Sirius knew why families had begun the process – something to do with keeping those in the same bloodline from turning on each other – but he couldn't recall the rest.

Sirius would soon need to do the same, as he had every intention of claiming his right as the head of the House of Black. There was a bit more about what claiming your house and titles entailed, but he hadn't paid attention to his father as a boy, and then he was thrown out of his home and family.

"_The practice began in 1078, not too long after the Norman invasion. Witches and wizards were being driven into hiding by fear and intolerance. While William the Conqueror, had borne the magical living among the non-magical, the rivalry for the throne upon William's death made Wizarding safety a concern. Hogwarts had already been established, and students trained there were wiser than their Muggle counterparts. Generally, Muggles were only educated if they joined religious orders, and then it was only the men. Wizards and worse, witches, being smarter and with the additional skill of magic, made their neighbors envious." _Sirius heard Monty Potter's history lessons in his head as he sat in the hard chair, head tipped against the wall, waiting for news on his Lady Katie.

_"Gone were the days when most people could do a little magic. Gone too were the days when we were revered for how we could resolve illnesses and other issues. The days would become darker, Muggles would become more suspicious, and the Wizarding world would hide further away…_

"Lord Black," a noticeably young-looking medi-witch came out from the bay Kitty was in, "you're allowed in now. She's stable, and her vitals are strong; we just don't know what has happened yet. We have sedated her quite heavily, as she appeared to be in great pain." She had a Scottish lilt that made everything she said sound hopeful.

Sirius stood, noticing the two Aurors now standing across from Kitty's bay. He looked down the hall and saw another one near the A & E entrance. Amelia was taking this one very seriously. He saw a slightly softer looking chair and sat down. He couldn't bring himself to imagine losing Kitty again after just finding her. This time it would kill him. He took her hand in his, realizing just how slender her fingers were. Her skin was free of markings, too, save the tiny scar on her third finger from falling from a tree when they were six. It wasn't fixed because she didn't want Fee scolding the boys for daring her to climb it. Instead, she put on a Muggle plaster to stop the bleeding. Sirius was surprised the Potters had them in their house, but then again, they weren't anti-Muggle like his family.

He flipped her hand over and noticed how smooth it was compared to his; no callouses or scars. His skin was a story of backfired spells and pranks, Quidditch accidents, dueling with Death Eaters, and Azkaban's horrors. He thought their hands were an apt metaphor for the two of them; she unblemished and soft; he rough and damaged.

"Lord Black," the heavy-set Healer came in, and he realized everyone had been addressing him as such. Was it common knowledge his mother had passed, and he was the family head? "Healer Medicusbonum," he said, offering his hand. Sirius shook it. "Please sit down and let me explain exactly what we know."

After the men were seated, the Healer began. "It is the ring which poisoned her. When it was put on her finger, a spell was triggered, her skin was pierced for a poison to enter her bloodstream. We've started her on a general poison reversal protocol while we await the poison's exact nature. I see the Aurors are guarding her, which is standard whenever one of their own is attacked. We haven't seen much of them since You-Know-Who died." Sirius nodded at the euphemism, wanting to correct him but chose not to. Dumbledore had said Voldemort wasn't dead, just gone. While they might be on the outs with the old man, he knew more about the Dark Wizard than anyone alive.

"So, what happens now?"

"We wait. When Lady Fawley arrived, she was in respiratory distress, but we've been able to reverse that. We should have an answer soon. If you need anything, just poke your head out. Aileas is assigned to Lady Fawley and will be able to help you." Sirius hadn't realized the medi-witch, Aileas, had returned to the room and was sitting on a stool by her potions trolley.

"Thank you," Sirius said, shaking the healer's hand. Sirius returned to his chair, sighed, and closed his eyes. It was half-past two, and his body was exhausted while his mind was racing. He knew there was something else Monty had explained about the Head of House bonding, but he just couldn't pull it out of the recesses. It was the first time he felt a need to have James here with him. He missed James at least twenty times a day, especially surrounding Harry's growing up. This was different, he needed James, his ability to recall facts, and as the only person who had been in the Head of House lessons with his father. Prongs had been the one to get Padfoot to admit he didn't love Marlene, but instead Kitty. James would have been able to reassure him.

James was gone. Sirius was alone. Katie was in deep sedation.

At some point in the night, Sirius must have fallen asleep because he awoke with a start when there was movement around him. Opening his eyes, Healer Medicusbonum and another healer were tilting Kitty's head back and pouring a potion down her throat. When Katie began to stir, a second potion was given. He, and the medical professionals, held their breath until she opened her eyes. She sought him out and smiled weakly.

"What happened?"

"You were poisoned," Healer Medicusbonum said. "Your engagement ring was cursed to kill you."

"How?" She was frail, and even getting the single word out was a struggle.

"We don't know, my Katie, but Kingsley and Amelia are on it," Sirius explained after he'd gently kissed her forehead. "What was it?" he asked the healer.

"A powerful solution of _Conium Maculatum_," the healer said. "Poison Hemlock in plain terms. Been used for a millennium. Highly restricted because it causes the taker to feel like they're burning from the inside out, respirations become irregular and eventually cease. It's a rather ugly way to die."

"Why would someone use that?" Sirius asked.

"Not detectable by magical scans," Kitty whispered. She looked to Sirius, and he saw the fear and fury in her eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: I've posted 2 other chapter in 3 days. Please make sure you've read 20 and 21 before reading this chapter. Thanks, MNF**

**Chapter 22:**

**Question of Time**

"Sirius, stop hovering," Kitty said as she walked from the bedroom to the magical library. "They released me from hospital without restrictions. I've cleared the poison completely. I can walk across my own home without your assistance." She was about to pull the ice princess out if he didn't cut it out.

"I just, you fell, and then you were…I was afraid you'd died," he confessed. She turned to look at him, tipped her head, and sighed. She held her hand to him, palm up, and he excitedly took it.

"I know," she said softly. "But I'm fine. I need to do some research on the Head of House bonding. It protected me against the poison, and I'm wondering if we can do the same with Harry."

"You want to bond him to the Fawley bloodline? He'll be his own Head of House one day," Sirius asked, somewhat confused.

"I want him bonded to the Fawley line, the Black line, and when he turns thirteen, we can reverse those bondings if needed and have him take on the Potter Head of House duties. Whatever is going on with him, it's not normal." They entered the library, and Kitty whipped her wand in several intricate motions before books started flying off shelves, a cabinet unlocked, and flew open for more books to travel to her table.

Kitty sat down, plucking the Fawley Book of Shadows out of the air, and opening it. "My great-grandfather wrote about binding non-bloodline children into the family."

For his part, Sirius had sat and was reading the titles off Kitty's research materials. "I think you have the most comprehensive library on family lines and their magic that I've ever seen. That's saying something since I grew up with a family full of people obsessed with the purity of a bloodline."

"Some of these were yours, some were confiscated from former Death Eaters, and Amelia is letting me use them. By the way, we're having a meeting this afternoon; you, me, Remus, Amelia, Minerva, and Kingsley. I'm adding the last one to the blood entrance charms. I have the distinct feeling that protecting Harry is going to become important."

"What he said the other night?" Sirius asked. When Remus had told them about Harry's actions after Kitty's collapse, both were shocked. Kitty confessed to the pair that it felt like whatever was happening in Yugoslavia, and what happened to Harry were connected. There was only one thing Death Eaters, and Harry Potter had in common: Voldemort.

"What he sees, what he says. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he's a pleasant, kind, polite, intelligent little boy. Then there is that one percent – and it terrifies me."

"I wonder what James and Lily would have done about it?" Sirius said softly.

"If James and Lily were here to make these choices, you would still be his fun uncle who prodded him to break the rules, and I would be the auntie who brought him things from around the world. Sirius, I have your set of Harry's adoption papers back," she said, digging out a series of folded parchment pages from under her piles of research. "We are his mum and dad now, and he's our son. It's up to us to choose what's right."

"I don't know if I want Harry thinking of me as his dad."

"The responsibility to act like parents falls to us, regardless of what he calls us. That black and silver behemoth over there," Kitty said, pointing to an unusually large book – full folio size and at least three inches thick, "is your family's Book of Shadows. Look and see if there's anything in there about Head of House duties and spells."

"Moody sent his Patronus to me this morning," Sirius said while flipping through the pages, "my house is clean now. The Dark objects have been sent to the vault. I'll review everything before sending stuff to the Department of Mysteries. I'll go over tonight, after Harry is in bed and do the binding ceremony. If you're not up to doing the spell –"

"I can do the spell with you, sweetheart," Kitty said softly. Her father had assisted her when she took on the mantle. She was lost in a sea of memories from that day when Sirius' voice broke through.

"Maybe we should go to the jewelers on Diagon Alley while we're out," he said in a gentle voice. "You did say yes. You meant to say yes, right?"

"Of course, I said yes, and I meant it," she answered, getting up and sitting down in his lap and kissing him sweetly. "I don't want another ring, though. I don't care that someone tried to use it to hurt me, us. Fee left that ring for you to use when you proposed. She wanted us to have it. She died only days after we started seeing each other; she had to have known what we didn't yet." Sirius kissed her again, slightly less sweetly than before.

"When we get it back, it's not ever leaving your finger."

"I'll only move it when you put my wedding ring on my finger."

"Sounds perfect," Sirius whispered as a vow before hungrily kissing his fiancée. After a few moments, Kitty broke the kiss and stood up.

"I need to go through these books," she said, walking back to her chair and sitting down. "The answers must be here." She lifted her family tome and fingered the page. "Have you ever wondered why we are still using parchment rather than wood pulp paper? All these books, all the pages inside of them, are made from the skins of animals. It's rather barbaric of us."

"I can tell by the smell of it this book isn't made of animal skins," Sirius said while holding up his family tome. Padfoot left him with a keen sense of smell. "Some of the pages are werewolf skin."

"I really hate your family."

"So do I."

That afternoon, while Harry was kept busy in the kitchen by Cheery, a sextet of witches and wizards sat in Kitty's library – Kingsley and Minerva McGonagall, having been keyed into the magical entrances and the blood protections – discussing her poisoning. Amelia thought that they needed someone who remembered life well before the war; everyone at the table was either a teen or a young adult when Voldemort began his rise.

"Whomever it is," Kingsley said, "was smart and knew about the spells DMLE offices use to check for charms, curses, hexes, and poisons. The prick curse was slipped into the sizing spell, so it went undetected. Using a poison that was one botanical kept it from being recognized as a potion."

"If it's the same bunch operating in Yugoslavia," Amelia said, "we know at least two former Aurors are Death Eaters. They infiltrated our ranks and worked from the inside to thwart our plans during the war. Then there's the influence several known Death Eaters have over the Ministry's more political members."

"Dad always said the way to get what you want was to make sure key people had their pockets lined with gold," Sirius said darkly.

"Your cousin's husband knows that all too well," Amelia said. Lucius Malfoy was a thorn in her side, and he was gaining influence.

"He's one to watch," Sirius replied. "His father is one of the most dangerous people my father knew, including Voldemort. Nothing is sacred to Abraxas Malfoy – not even his family – he will sell out anyone to get gold or power. Since he's one of the families you're watching in Yugoslavia, I'd say be prepared to lose people. If he even whiffs Ministry interference, he'll kill. Lucius likes to pretend he's all class and refinement, but underneath he is just as dirty and cutthroat as his father."

"I'll be back into the office next week," Kitty said, making Sirius frown a bit. "Have there been any further developments in gaining intel from the families in Ohrid?"

"There's a team in place," Amelia said. "They've slipped into the household of the Mulcibers. We'll have more information in two days. As for those Dark Potion Items, we discovered what they were. This," she said, producing the first of the pictures, "is the fork from a basilisk. It's rolled up, the actual forking being in the middle, but the Potion Master who reviewed the pictures puts the snake's length at one hundred feet, minimum."

"Basilisks that large are supposed to be a myth," Remus said.

"My grandmother spoke of a horrible monster that slithered through the highlands," Minerva said. "It would take down whole herds of cows or sheep at a time and then wind it's way back into the hills."

"Terrifying," Kingsley said. Amelia and Kitty smirked, knowing about his hatred of snakes.

"I'm not surprised we didn't recognize it," Kitty said. "No one expects something like that to exist. It reminded me of uncut sausages."

"You've just put me off bangers and mash," Sirius said.

"No, I haven't," Kitty said, patting his hand. "The next time Cheery makes it, you'll eat with your usual aplomb. Harry likes them very much too."

"Back to our ingredients," Amelia said. "This second item is a collection of Mediterranean Mermaid Scales. I'm not sure how they were harvested, as these mermaids are nearly never seen. They're terrified of witches and wizards, and for a good reason, as they were hunted to near extinction."

"Wait, my Greek ancestors wrote about them," Kitty said, summoning a book from the shelves. She opened it and flipped through the pages until she found the entry she needed. "Here, my great-great-great-grandmother wrote about a witch having the ability to summon the mermaids to her. The tune had been safeguarded by her family and required an exceptional range to sing it. My grandmother wrote an addendum to the entry saying the tune had been lost and was now a mystery."

"What do you do with Mermaid scales?" Sirius asked.

"They retain their magical essence long after they've been harvested, so much so that many wand makers use them as a core for a wand. I've heard they can be hard to control and are fiercely loyal," Remus explained. "I know they can be ground up and used to make a powerful hallucinogenic compound that many werewolves take just before transforming. When you're under the influence of the powder, you're highly open to suggestion. If Voldemort dosed his werewolves with it, there's the explanation of why they were so vicious and could do such great damage in just one night."

"Were you powdering your nose while visiting the pack?" Sirius asked lightheartedly.

"You don't know what I had to do while I was in that pack," Remus answered far more darkly. Kitty looked at him sadly.

"You don't live that way, Remus," Kitty said. "You are more than your time of the month." The group laughed at equating the full moon night to her menstrual cycle.

"Third here is Herbaria. This one is a known entity, but just not in the volume that we collected it in. Usually, when one is granted the item, it is only a cluster of three leaves. There were fourteen clusters taken," Amelia explained.

"What do you mean, granted?" Minerva asked, unfamiliar with the plant.

"Herbaria grows only on Avalon. To harvest it, one must have an innocent soul, according to legend. Only a witch or wizard it deems pure of heart and spirit will it present its leaves to," Kingsley answered. "My mother had been granted a sprig when she was twelve."

"I always knew your mother had a good heart," Minerva said. "She was one of my favorite students."

"Lastly, this," Amelia said, slamming the picture down in the middle of the table, "is the brain of a Demiguise."

"I knew I had seen something like this," Sirius said. "My great-aunt Cassiopeia had one. She was nuts, even when I was little. She claimed it helped her with her Divination. Nothing she ever foretold came true, except that I would be a disappointment to my parents."

"Well, then, your aunt doesn't really have the sight," Amelia said, "because they can be used as an aid in telling the future. When a small portion of the brain is swallowed, it can give the user a clearer picture of the future. The animals themselves are protected because they have a degree of foresight. The magizoologists were quite unhappy. This one was fresh."

"Disgusting," Kitty said. "Given all of this, these people are cooking up some serious potions. Poison, hallucination, foresight, and what is the Herbaria used for?"

"Herbaria strengthens the body. If mixed with certain snake venoms, it can heal the mortally wounded," Amelia explained. "The recipe for that potion hasn't been widely circulated in nearly half a millennium. The Department of Mysteries' potions team took days to find out what it did. It works much the same way unicorn blood does, without killing the creature."

Kitty and Sirius looked at each other before looking to Remus. He nodded, and Kitty lifted her wand and dropped another level of Silencing Charms on the room. "We need to tell you about Harry."

Methodically, the trio began to recount the strange happenings with Harry's nightmares, near-catatonic states, and bizarre statements. There was silence for a few long moments.

"I never liked that scar on his head," Minerva said. "I wanted to take him to St. Mungo's when I saw it, but Dumbledore insisted it wouldn't be safe for Harry to be seen there. He said he'd done his own spells and that there was nothing to the scar. The _Killing Curse_ doesn't leave a mark. That was an open, oozing, bleeding mess on Harry's head that I could not seal."

"We've all tried to run spells on his scar," Remus said, "but everything is inconclusive. I don't know what else to do, and we don't know who we can turn to." ." Kitty looked close to tears when he spoke.

"We're all on this now," Minerva said. "We will help Harry."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 23:**

**My Secret Garden**

**March 29, 1986**

"Sirius, sweetheart, we need to have a little talk," Kitty said as she came out of their loo, wrapped in her fluffy dressing gown. He was still lounging in bed, only wearing his pants. She had a small phial in one hand and her wand in another.

"What do you have there?" he asked, quite certain he knew what it was and what its green color meant.

"You know that night in Fiji, where we demolished two champagne bottles, and Harry was staying on Remus' side of the house?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile, remembering their hours of lovemaking. He looked at the phial again. "You'd told me to do the charm, but –"

"Exactly…but," she said with a nod. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, Merlin, that's amazing," Sirius said, jumping out bed and grabbing her. He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Then he slid his hand inside her dressing gown to hold her belly, his large hand covering nearly all the slight protrusion of creamy skin. "There's a little Padfoot in there."

"So, you're happy?" Kitty and Sirius had talked about children, but in a very hypothetical way and with the understanding that it was somewhere in the future.

"Happy? I'm delirious! I told you I wanted to give Harry little sisters and brothers. Which is it?"

"Yes. The potion can't tell me that, not yet anyway. I should go see the Healer soon and find out exactly when we should expect little Padfoot. Merlin help me if he's as irrepressible as you are."

"Can we tell Remus and Harry? Can I tell the world?"

"Remus, yes, Harry and the world we should hold off on. Harry doesn't understand how long six to seven months is."

"Great! I'm going over to Remus'."

"Sirius, you should probably put some clothes on before you see Remus," Kitty said with a smile. "I know you shared a room, but really, he doesn't want to see you in your pants."

"Right, clothes." Sirius pulled Kitty's wand from her hand, summoned his from the bedside table. He gave Kitty's wand back with a soft kiss of thank you. "_Accio clothes,_" he said, and his jeans and a jumper flew out at him.

"Can I bring one more thing up with you?" Kitty hesitantly asked. Sirius turned too quickly with one leg in his jeans, and the other stuck halfway down and fell onto the bed. Kitty laughed happily. Now that she knew Sirius would accept the child, she allowed herself the excitement of the baby.

"What?"

"Can we be married before the baby comes? It will make it so much easier when we go to pass on the Head of House duties if the baby is recorded as both a Fawley and a Black from day one, not having to go through the process of adding him or her to your family book in Gringotts." Sirius pulled the rest of his jeans on, stood, and took his fiancée into his arms. His hand played with the ring on her finger, wondering what Fee and Monty would think of him and Kitty as parents.

"Pick a day, tell me what to wear, and I will marry you. It could be tomorrow; it could be in three months; I've wanted to marry you for five years." They shared another passionate kiss, and then Sirius grabbed his jumper and ran to tell his best friend about his happy news.

Later that morning, Remus was beaming when his magical pupils met him near the Floo in the sitting room. He was going to be an uncle again. He wished it were he who would be a father, but no woman would want to have HIS child. The risk was too significant. Instead, he would be the dutiful uncle and teacher to the next generation.

"Why are you so happy, Uncle Remus?" Harry asked as he and Neville waited for the Weasleys to arrive. It was unusual for them to have a Saturday lesson, but Remus had not taught on the previous Tuesday or Wednesday due to the full moon, so they were making up a lesson today.

"Life is very good, Harry. Very, very good."

"Uncle Sirius was acting all weird at breakfast too. Were you drinking Firewhisky last night?" Harry asked, and the question gave Remus pause.

"How do you know what Firewhisky is, Harry?"

"When it was my daddy's birthday, you said you were going to remember him and raise a glass. The Firewhiskey bottle was out, and I read the label. Yesterday morning you were grumpy, and your eyes were red, then Cheery gave you a potion, and you were all happy and stuff." Harry was right; he and Sirius had been rather drunk celebrating their friend. Kitty had gone to Godric's Hollow and left flowers on James' grave. They were all going to need to be more careful around the five-and-a-half-year-old. Harry was very observant.

"No, Harry, we did not have too many drinks last night. I'm happy with the world, and so are Sirius and Kitty," Remus answered. "We get to raise you, and that makes us happy." Neville watched the interaction, feeling sad. No one cuddled and talked with him that way. He missed his mum and dad as much as Harry did his; his grandmother wasn't like any of Harry's guardians.

Ron and Ginny tumbled out of the Floo, bickering. "It wasn't my fault," Ron insisted.

"Yes, it was," Ginny said back. "If your shoes had been in your room, where Mum asks us to keep them, then the twins wouldn't have hidden them in the kitchen cupboards. Hello, Mr. Lupin."

"Hello, Ginny, Ron. You're not late, as I would never start without you. Today we will visit the magical greenhouse Lady Fawley keeps here before we start our maths for the day. Who can tell me one thing we will probably see in the greenhouse?" Neville and Harry both shot their hands in the air to answer.

"Neville?"

"I bet you grow Valerian. It's very useful in several potions."

"Correct, we do grow Valerian. Harry?"

"I know we grow ginger root because Cheery uses it in her gingersnaps."

"You're right. It's also helpful when added to particularly bad-tasting potions to make them more palatable," Remus explained.

"What does palatable mean?" Ron asked.

"It makes it taste better," Remus said. The quintet went down Harry's slide and walked toward the four greenhouses behind Remus's cottage. It wasn't until they walked through an invisible enchantment line that the fifth greenhouse emerged. Remus was happily surprised to find Neville knew a great deal about plants and told his little classmates some exciting facts. He planned to talk with his grandmother about perhaps having him come over and speak with Kitty about how they use botanicals in her work.

The group walked around a bit more, looking at the Bouncing Bulbs that were carefully netted, unless they were to bounce away and the Flitterblooms. Ginny was particularly enchanted by the delicate flowers. Kitty had a partition about two-thirds of the way back inside the greenhouse, and this is where Remus had the children turn around.

"Why can't we go back there?" Ron asked, standing on his tiptoes to see.

"That is where we keep the more dangerous plants. Things which could bite you, or make your ears bleed," Remus answered, putting his hands on Ron's shoulders and turning him around toward the front where Ginny and Neville were waiting. The werewolf then turned his gaze to Harry, who seemed transfixed by the idea of the dangerous plants and forbidden areas. Unlike the little boy, he was usually compliant when someone told him no – almost unhealthily so and all thanks to his horrible relatives.

Like on the night Kitty was poisoned, Harry had a glazed, vacant look. Remus would need to tell Kitty and Sirius. "Come on, Harry, time for maths," the teacher said gently, and Harry peered up at the man and sneered. Then the look was gone, and Harry's keen gaze returned with a little shake of his head. Harry then ran to catch up with his friends.

Two days later, Kitty was making her way through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, this being only her second day back, she hadn't had her direct Floo privileges to the DMLE returned yet. She'd be happy when she didn't need to walk through the crowded room to get to the lifts. As she approached an open lift, she noticed Fudge inside and chose to wait for a different car. To her mortification, he stepped out to speak with her. The only way it would have been worse was if Dumbledore were there too. Drawing on her well of social manners and propriety, she turned when he called her name.

"I suppose you're happy?"

"Regarding?" she answered his question with her own. She knew what he was asking, but she wanted him to squirm a little.

"My reassignment; your promotion," he bit out.

"My promotion is something which makes me happy. I had expressed a desire to remain in the UK while my son was growing up. I'm thankful that my request was accepted. Are you not happy in the DMLE Patrols Office? You're right in the thick of things," Kitty said with the exceptional politeness which always drove Cornelius Fudge crazy.

"No, I'm not happy in the Patrols Office! It's worse than being with the Hit Wizards," he seethed. "I belong in the Auror Office. You know, I do. Your father blocked me from my destiny," he whinged and spread spit as he spoke. Kitty was glad she was still wearing her outer cloak, as she didn't want to wear his saliva all day.

"If it was truly your destiny, then my father would not have been able to thwart you. I had nothing to do with your transfer."

"Yes, you did," he yelled. "When you freed that murderer." Many people turned to look at the pair, and Kitty wanted to hide. She drew enough attention all on her own. She didn't need a raging idiot garnering her more.

"Sirius was proven innocent," she said quietly. "Had you simply followed regulations and given him a trial, then, you would not be suffering now." She saw a mostly empty lift just to her left and turned and dashed for it. She slid in before the gates closed and pressed her button.

Fudge remained in the Atrium, people staring at him. "She is going to pay for this."

After stowing her cloak and briefcase in her office – no longer in the large bullpen area but in an office with a door that she shared with Kingsley – she went to speak with their administrative assistant. Ailill looked like a man whose name should mean elf in Gaelic. Tall, reedy thin with angular features to his face, and an unnaturally dark red hue to his hair, Ailill was easily mistaken for a full-blooded Fire Elf, although he was only half. His employment in such a prominent place was Amelia's desire to promote cooperation between magical individuals, not divide them more.

"I need to speak with Amelia for a few minutes," Kitty explained. "When Kingsley comes in, could you tell him where I've gone?"

"Of course, Lady Fawley," he replied. Kitty had already spoken to him about calling her Ms. Fawley if Kitty was too informal. It was apparent that he was going to call her the more formal title. At least he was no longer calling her Princess Ekaterina Aurelia Lovisa anymore.

"Thank you."

The distance between the two offices was short, so when Kitty felt the twinge of a _Stinging Hex_ hit her legs, she turned around quickly, wand drawn. There was no one behind her, although the door to the loo was just closing. Choosing not to go looking for whoever hexed her, she finished making her way to Amelia. Once inside her friend's office, the door shut, Kitty told her boss the news of her pregnancy.

"Oh, Kitty, that's wonderful," the other woman said while hugging the mom-to-be. "Do you know when you're due?"

"I think late October, although I'm going to a Maternity Healer tomorrow. I'll need to leave the office for a little while, I hope that isn't a problem," Kitty said expectantly.

"Not at all," Amelia replied. "Just make sure your assistant knows where you are. Is Ailill still calling you Princess?" Amelia indicated Kitty should sit.

"No, thankfully, but he insists on calling me, Lady Fawley. After Beltane, though, he'll need to call me Fawley-Black," Kitty slipped in softly.

"You've set a date," Amelia said happily. "Of course, you and Sirius would marry on Beltane, you've proven you're fertile." Beltane was the day of fertility and promise for the good harvests of the summer to come.

"That isn't why I picked it," Kitty confessed. "I've always wanted to be married on a holy day. I love fire festivals, and I shouldn't be showing, although anyone who has even the most rudimentary maths skills will figure out I was pregnant when we married."

"Are you doing a traditional pure-blood wedding?" Amelia asked, thinking her reserved friend would most likely not want such a thing.

"Merlin's baggy y-fronts, no!" Kitty swore. "Small, private with just family and friends near us. That is all Sirius and I want. If I desired an event, I'd tell my mother and let her arrange it."

"You haven't told your parents?"

"They know we're engaged," Kitty said with a sigh. "But…well, they were unhappy. Father said he'd hoped for a royal marriage – a deposed prince or duke – for would it have served the family well. Mother said she didn't trust Sirius. They knew I loved him, even when I was angry with him." Kitty was finding herself more frequently disappointed in her parents now that she was raising Harry in the manner Fee and Monty Potter had loved Sirius and her. "I'll invite them, but Father won't want to miss ICW rulings days, which dominate early May."

The pair discussed the wedding slightly, and Amelia promised she would go robes shopping with Kitty over the weekend. Kitty was pleased with this development, as she didn't think Remus would enjoy going with her.

"I hate to bring work into this, but a memory phial was brought in from Yugoslavia this morning. Will you look at it and tell me what you think it is?" Amelia queried.

"Absolutely." Amelia summoned her Pensive and dropped the memory in. It must have been through the eyes of whomever the Aurors had implanted into the Mulciber household, given the perspective. It seemed they were serving food to a diner party, the four identified families being present. Kitty found it strange, they had human servants – footmen in this case – although her mother had a maid and a lady's maid. When the servant made his way to the head of the table, Kitty gasped.

Propped up on pillows was a deathly pale infant. Their eyes were red.

"Whose baby is that?" Kitty muttered, her hand protectively covering her own growing child as she shivered.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: I'm going away for the long weekend here in the US - just going to see family which has also been in Quarantine. Anyway, I won't be home on Monday to give you your usual chapter, so here it is early. Keep in mind there won't be another chapter until Thursday of next week. For those in the US, enjoy our last "unofficial" weekend of Summer. Peace - MNF**

**Chapter 24:**

**Clean**

**April 1986**

"Are you nervous?" Kitty asked Sirius as they laid in bed only moments after their alarm had gone off. She'd taken her anti-nausea potion, and they were waiting for it to be fully effective before rising. The morning sickness hit her hard when she reached the eight-week mark.

"I know I should be," Sirius answered. "But after meeting with Brightsword, I feel better about having them removed." Today Sirius was beginning the process of removing his prison tattoos. There were two which would never be removed, the one he'd already altered himself that now was the symbol for "Complete Purification" as it was transformative. He wanted to continue to be transformed as a soon-to-be husband and father. The other, the letters down his abdomen, intended to say, "Always Hurt" were being changed. The way the tattoos were created keyed the runes into Sirius' central nervous system; removing them could cause irreparable damage to his CNS, and the pain would be excruciating.

When Sirius decided he was ready to remove some of the offensive markings on his skin, Kitty set about finding the best curse-breaker she could. Brightsword, a goblin from America who worked in the Peruvian jungle and at the site of Machu Pichu, was considered the best there was. Laying down considerable gold to bring him to the UK and a sizable donation to the Machu Pichu Magical Foundation, she could get him to work on Sirius. The removal would take place in a specially charmed vault within Gringotts. Twelve goblins would be on the outside, making sure none of the evil escaped into the bank proper.

Kitty moved to sit up and sat quietly for a few minutes. Due to her pregnancy, she was not allowed in the room while the curse removal was taking place. A curse would search out a new host, and with Kitty having two heartbeats within her, she would be particularly enticing. Remus was also not allowed to be with Sirius, as his werewolf side could be unintentionally triggered by the transformational spells being used. They would be in the hall, with the dozen goblins, awaiting the end of the procedures. Harry was going to go fishing with Neville and his Uncle Algie. A Disillusioned Rumple would be accompanying Harry, should he have one of his 'fits.' He'd not struck out at anyone in a long while, but he did seem to go comatose for a few minutes and then shake himself out of it frequently.

"Feeling okay?" Sirius asked. If Kitty moved too fast, she'd vomit. Not something he wanted a repeat of.

"Yes," Kitty answered, "but I'm a bit dizzy."

"Cheery," Sirius said softly, and the elf appeared. "Can you bring Kitty some toast, please?" The elf nodded and disappeared, only to reappear a moment later with a plate of toast and a cup of green tea for Kitty and a full English breakfast for him.

Two hours later, Sirius was lying on a rock slab in the middle of the room guarded against curses. The walls had runes, symbols, and markings covering every inch. Kitty knew some of them, but most of these were far beyond her ability to read, let alone use. Her stomach flipped over again as she worried about her fiancé and what he was about to put himself through. She nervously played with her engagement ring, which Sirius noticed and took hold of her hands with one of his.

"I'm going to be fine," he said. "We aren't even starting with the hazardous ones." The ones over his heart would be taken care of in a future date, and Sirius would be under sedation to ensure he remained calm and perfectly still. Brightsword confessed that he had never seen someone survive the burning of these tattoos into their skin, let alone live with them. The only answer, he surmised, was Sirius' innocence of the crime of which he was convicted. Brightsword deduced his innocence negated the power of the curse. There was also an idea Brightsword said he'd encountered in some Greek ruins, when he was just starting his work as a curse-breaker, that suggested love could counteract curses. Sirius deeply loved Kitty and Harry and held onto his love and happy memories of the pair while in prison. This idea was something that intrigued Kitty.

"I know, but what if something happens to you? How am I supposed to live without you? Raise Harry and our little niffler without you?" Kitty rambled, tears in her eyes. Sirius had definitely noticed Kitty's emotions were less controlled than they had been. Thankfully, he remembered how Lily was and just held her hand and said calming words when it happened. Additionally, Kitty didn't have the temper Lily did, so she usually cried rather than yelled.

"Lord Black, I'm going to start preparing you for the procedure. Lady Fawley, will you please step out into the hall with Mr. Lupin?" The goblin from Gringotts whose duty it was to organize counter-curses said. Kitty nodded, kissed Sirius firmly, and started to back away. She had started to cry again.

"Lady Katie, I'm going to be out with you in no time. Go cry all over Remus, I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Sirius said with his trademark grin, which eased Kitty's mind for a moment. She left the cell and went to Remus' side, where an extremely comfortable looking chair sat.

"That was a rock bench when I last saw it," Kitty said as she eased herself into it.

"Yes, it was. I thought you might be happier in this," Remus explained. "I did get an 'O' in Charms."

"You did, and thank you," Kitty said, her hands coming together and twisting in what Remus considered an extremely uncomfortable way. He put his hand over the tops of hers to settle them.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said. "Brightsword told us this procedure was straightforward."

"I know, but he's…I didn't realize how empty I was inside without him. If he died, I'd function, but it would just be existing. He's my everything, you know?"

"I wish I knew," Remus confessed. It was the truth. He honestly wished he'd meet someone who could love him with the abandon that his friends seemed to share.

The iron door of the room slid shut with a resounding bang, which caused Kitty to jump. Remus put an arm around her and held her while the twelve goblins raised their hands in unison. They would fight anything which would try to escape, even Sirius if Brightsword didn't say it was safe for him to leave.

Inside the chamber, Sirius had removed his shirt, laid down, and then his wrists were strapped down. This wasn't done because they feared Sirius striking out at the goblins working on him, but rather that he didn't accidentally move and cause himself harm. A young female goblin came up to him with a phial of pink, swirling liquid.

"Hello, Lord Black, my name is Fairblade, and I am Brightsword's companion. This is a concoction I have prepared for you; it will help you relax. Then I'm going to cast some spells to help you stay still. Once we know you're calm, we will begin." This was the first female goblin Sirius had ever met, and while he wouldn't go so far as to say she was beautiful – goblins just weren't – there was a gentle, lovely tone to her voice, and her eyes were very caring. She was pleasing, in a maternal, Molly Weasley sort of way.

"I'm willing to take the potion, but will you tell me what's in it?" Sirius asked.

"Of course, it's a tisane of lavender, peppermint, chamomile, tulsi basil, and passionflower," Fairblade explained. Sirius nodded, and she poured the liquid down his throat.

"That tastes a lot better than our _Draught of Peace_ does," Sirius remarked. Fairblade smiled.

"It's the chamomile and passionflower, they add a sweetness to it," she explained. "Plus, the crocodile heart is quite bitter, and can cause some people to burp uncontrollably, which is why we've removed it."

"My best friend at Hogwarts had that reaction," Sirius said, remembering James avoiding taking the potion if he could after he burped for two days straight.

Brightsword came over and asked if Sirius was ready, and he nodded he was. Fairblade began chanting in Gobbledygook, and the wizard felt invisible restraints hold him to the table. The goblin then switched to English, surprising Sirius.

"Ancestors past, the sacred space has been prepared. We are here. The sacred time is now. I have nowhere to go, no appointments to keep. I am wholly here and present. Be here with me, protect this one who has use of my skill. Protect our space, our time, our work." The runes on the walls glowed a bright gold, and then a web-like structure was created between the carvings. Sirius thought there was a whole lot about building protection spells wizards could learn from goblins.

Fairblade poured oil over the tattoo being banished, while Brightsword reverted to Gobbledygook for his chanting. When he stopped, Fairblade began ringing a small brass bell covered in runes. They were all the same rune, signifying protection over and over.

Sirius felt a sharp tug, not painfully intense but more akin to his skin being pulled away. For some reason, it reminded him of being hooked by his own fishing hook as a child. His mind then wandered peacefully to Harry and his outing today.

Fairblade stopped ringing the bell and sprinkled something over the oil. The pressure was building, and a thin, smoke-like line was rising from his abdomen. Usually, such a thing would be worrying, but Sirius just peered at it with interest. Brightsword's chanting was more intense now.

Sirius then smelt dragon's blood, something no one forgot once they'd had a whiff. A generous portion was poured onto him by Fairblade. Brightsword lit a candle and set the oil/dragon's blood mixture alight when she stopped. Sirius should have felt burning on his skin, but there was only a faintly warming sensation. The smell of the smoke was nauseating, something Fairblade must have anticipated as she now held another phial in her hands.

"This will combat nausea," she said before pouring it down Sirius' throat. The relief was instantaneous.

"We have safely removed the first tattoo," Brightsword said. "The area will be tender for two or three days, and you will need to rest and allow any residual magic to leave your system. I will now proceed with the changing of your other tattoos."

Fairblade came forward and cast a pain relief charm, something which wasn't done in Azkaban. Sirius recognized the feel of his skin chilling across his abdomen. Brightsword began to chant, this time in Latin, which Sirius recognized from his childhood lessons. As he chanted, he struck a rusted plate, allowing the rust particles to fall onto Sirius' body.

"_Clavus ferreus_

_ Malleus ferreus_

_ Ferrum rufulum_

_Ferrum Nobilis" _

Sirius translated the charm as the goblin spoke, 'iron, hammer hard, iron flush with a noble punch.' The final word was punctuated with intense pressure against Sirius' gut.

"He's nearly done," Fairblade said gently. "You're aware of what the letters intended before, 'mouth siege hardship' or 'always hurt.' It was designed to starve you to make eating nearly impossible. You must be an extraordinarily strong man to have fought against it." Sirius couldn't speak or move, but he closed his eyelids in thanks.

Brightsword quickly changed the letters, leaving the rune for mouth alone, as it was the one most strongly tied into the CNS. The second rune was transformed to now read 'man,' and the final one was now 'gift.' Mouth Man Gift was far more innocuous. Kitty and Remus had a wager on whether it would make him talk more or eat even more than he already did.

With his breathing heavy and his brow covered in sweat, Brightsword stepped away from Sirius. The golden netting snapped and disappeared and Fairblade released the spells holding Sirius, undoing the restraints on his wrists. She then handed him another phial, this one he recognized as a regeneration potion.

"Stay there for a moment," she said kindly. "I'll bring your fiancée in to see you. She was quite worried when we started."

"She's good at worrying," Sirius said. "Although usually, she doesn't show it. The pregnancy has made her emotions unpredictable." Fairblade smiled and then released the spells holding the iron door shut. She was only one step past the door when Kitty was next to her, asking questions.

The next heartbeat, Kitty was kissing Sirius. He didn't know she could move that quickly and wondered if she'd Disapparated from the door to his side. Brightsword was now recovered and spoke to the couple as Remus walked over.

"He must relax over the next two days. His body will be recovering for many hours, and the skin where the tattoo was is very tender and fragile. Fairblade will give you the recipe for a potion to give him for two days. We should wait three weeks before we attempt any further removal. The next set should be the death and dust rune and the incantation for suffering, which wraps around his body and neck. After these are done, we can remove the heart of lead."

"What about the one for death on his arm?" Kitty asked.

"Brightsword told me how to remove it since I was the one who put it there. See, all gone," Sirius said, and Kitty looked relieved.

"You can sit up slowly and put your shirt back on. Will one of you be getting him home safely? He shouldn't Apparate until tomorrow," Fairblade asked.

"We're taking a Portkey," Remus said.

"Perfect. Here is the recipe…" she spoke, but Sirius had stopped listening. Remus would know how to treat him once they were home, and it was good enough for him. Sirius sat up, and Kitty wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the gesture.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: I know I said Thursday, I lied. Enjoy. MNF**

**Chapter 25:**

**Shake the Disease**

**April 18, 1986 **

Kitty sat at her desk in the DMLE, reviewing photographs taken from another memory file from their embedded spy at the Mulciber home in Yugoslavia. This one showed a whole slew of new potion ingredients. The department's Potions Masters could only identify a third of them on sight, and they'd gone so far as to bring a former Department of Mysteries Potion's Master in to work on the case. Whoever was mixing their potions had an incredible knowledge. She suspected it was Severus Snape, but she'd not seen him in any pictures. Yet. It was a Death Eater during the first war. Unfortunately, until they had proof he'd left the UK and was in Yugoslavia, there wasn't anything they could do. There was a not-so-secret spy within the walls of Hogwarts, however. Minerva McGonagall kept Amelia posted on Snape's activities.

"Nothing good is going to come from these things," Kitty said ruefully to the air, her eyes still raking over the various stills. Ailill had identified one of the things they'd never seen before as wings from Fire Elves. The elves they were taken from would have died a horrible, painful death as they could not get to any other elves to staunch the bleeding. The elves were unaccustomed to walking long distances; their legs were not built for it. Kitty was repulsed by the idea of stealing something from a sentient being and just leaving them to die in the wild. Ailill also explained that once the wings were ground and mixed with purified water, the paste could paralyze any bipedal being. The antidote had to be administered quickly, or the person would be in a persistent vegetative state. Whatever these four families were up to, it reeked of the first war with Voldemort. It was a time Kitty didn't want to return to.

More troubling than the strange collection of items was the disappearance of "the baby." Kitty knew it physically looked like an infant, but the features were barely human. While she had never come face-to-face with Voldemort, he was the only other being she knew of to have glowing, red eyes. This thing also resembled the creature James, Lily, Sirius, and various Aurors had described to her.

Although she was too frightened to raise it with anyone other than Amelia and Kingsley, who had reluctantly agreed it could be what was left after his spell backfired on Harry, Kitty had a theory. Only one person might have some information that they lacked, and that was Albus Dumbledore. Kitty was hesitant to suggest seeing him, even to Amelia, because she did not want him around Harry.

Before her death, Lily had confided in Kitty there was a prophecy about Harry, something about a child born as July ended. She hadn't really paid attention, considering Divination was such an imprecise art. However, she wanted to know what it said, mostly if it really was about her son.

Kitty was trying to place the exact time that she and Sirius began referring to Harry as their boy, rather than James and Lily's. They would always be his biological parents, but after both adoptions were complete, there was a feeling of protectiveness and kinship which had grown in her heart. Sirius had said as much to her as well. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Rufus Scrimgeour, her actual supervising boss, come in and put a cup of tea on her desk.

"I hope your head was on your work and not on your imminent arrival," he said, looking at Kitty's belly to see if it had grown any.

"I see the inter-office gossip machine still works overtime," Kitty said with a laugh. "I'm not due until October, and no, I'm not showing either. I considered what and where this 'baby' we saw on our spy's memories might be. Do you think they're moving it between houses? Who gave birth to it? Narcissa Malfoy is in the UK, I saw her a week ago buy clothes for Draco while shopping for Harry. Nott's wife hasn't been seen since she gave birth to Theo six years ago, and the wives of Abraxas Malfoy and Cuthbert Avery are ancient. Maybe one of the younger generations has a mistress stowed away somewhere?"

"If she was hidden in the Mulciber house, she was hidden well. Our spy found no trace of a woman of childbearing years being there," Scrimgeour said.

"That leaves the possibility of young Stirling Avery being the father, or maybe Edwin Mulciber, but we were certain he was gay when we were in school," Kitty said. "Of course, he could have been forced to impregnate someone."

"Ms. Fawley, do you really suppose that is an infant?" Scrimgeour asked, and Kitty shook her head.

"No, but don't ask me what my hypothesis is yet," she quickly interjected before he could ask. "I need to do more research."

"Very well," he said. "Use whatever resources you need, just get me answers. Minister Bagnold isn't going to believe us without concrete proof." Kitty nodded, thanked him for the tea, and the Head Auror left. Bagnold was going to step down soon, and most believed that Scrimgeour would be elected in her place. Kitty supposed that was why she and Kingsley were in the positions they were. They'd break apart their Auror department into domestic and international, much like the Muggles MI5 and MI6. She hoped their departments got along better than the two Muggle branches did. Spies were notoriously cagy around other spies, but with the possibility of new dark times coming upon them, unity was going to be imperative.

Before she could delve back into the memory file, Kingsley came in looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. "What has you so happy?" Kitty asked.

"The Wizengamot is asking Dumbledore to step down," he said. Kitty looked at him, waiting for the rest of his news.

"That can't be the only thing which has you excited," Kitty said drolly. "Come on, who are they recommending to take his place?"

"Amelia."

"Brilliant choice, but if we lose Rufus and Amelia at the same time, we as a department are going to suffer."

"They could make you the new head of the DMLE," he suggested. Kitty laughed.

"Thank you for the compliment, but no," Kitty said resoundingly. "I'm going to be too busy raising my children soon. I'm not sure I even want to be working as it is."

"You just got back here? You can't quit now!" Kingsley appeared personally affronted by this idea.

"You know I work because I love it, not because I need to work. If it weren't for the strange activities in Yugoslavia, I don't know that I'd be working at all." Kingsley wasn't happy with her statement, but also knew it was true. He sat down at his desk to go through reports, and she continued to compare potion ingredients from pictures to the ancient Potions compendium Sirius had found at Grimmauld Place for her.

The sudden arrival of an owl dropping a message from St. Mungo's onto her desk broke Kitty away from her work. The distinctive red parchment wasn't something Auors waned to see. After reading the note, she stood, grabbed her cape, and looked at Kingsley.

"Something has happened to Sirius. He and Harry are both in St. Mungo's." He stood and grabbed his cape as well.

"I'm coming with you. I'll let Ailill know where we are going. Wait for me at the departmental Floo." Kitty nodded and went toward the private fireplace for the Aurors. He joined her, and soon they were headed to the hospital. Arriving in the A & E department, Kitty thought the second visit wasn't a good sign in less than a year.

"I'm Kitty Fawley, my fiancé and son were brought in; Sirius Black and Harry Potter."

"Lord Black is in bay six. Harry has been taken to the pediatric floor," the medi-witch who was on duty at the information desk told her, and Kitty bid a hasty thank you before running toward bay six. It was, unfortunately, the same bay she'd been in when poisoned.

Entering the room, she was surprised to find Cheery sitting in the corner on a small stool. Sirius was covered with bandages that had been soaked in Murtlap Essence, going by the pungent odor the room reeked of. His face, neck, chest, and arms were carefully wrapped. At the noise of her entering, Sirius cracked open his one good eye.

"Katie," he said with effort before closing his eye again.

"What happened?" she asked, but Sirius remained silent. Cheery instead answered.

"They were outside, my Lady, when I felt the ground rumble something fierce. We, Rumple, and I, ran out to find Harry shaking and Lord Sirius on the ground, bleeding. Mr. Remus said Harry had a fit, and his magic had struck out against Lord Sirius. We helped Mr. Remus bring them here. Rumple is with little Harry."

Kitty took Sirius' good hand in hers and leaned close. "Squeeze my hand to say yes," she directed him. "Was it accidental magic?" Kitty felt nothing. "Okay, I'm going to check on Harry. Cheery will take care of you until I'm back." Kitty kissed his crown and then turned to face her friend and co-worker.

"Can you stay here, at least until I get back?"

"Of course," Kingsley answered, and Kitty went to the lifts to be taken to the pediatric floor. When she exited the carriage, she immediately found Remus in the hallway.

"What happened?" she asked after he hugged her tightly.

"We were outside, Harry and Sirius on their brooms, tossing the Quaffle about when Harry became stock still. He fell from his broom, which was only about six feet off the ground, and then he started the shake. When the shaking stopped, he looked at Sirius and yelled at him. Then a wave of magic ripped free of him. Then Harry started to shake again. The only reason I wasn't torn to shreds like Sirius was that I was on the patio and had a second to put up a shield. He's still unconscious."

"What did he yell?" Kitty asked hesitantly. She had a feeling in her gut that it was going to be awful.

"I'm sorry, but all I heard was something about returning to power," Remus said, and Kitty plopped into the empty chair. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Not here," Kitty said. "Can I go see him?"

"They wouldn't let me in because I'm not a parent. I'm sure you'll be fine. Your elf is in there with him, although I can't see him."

"Cheery told me Rumple was here," Kitty said. "Kingsley is down with Sirius. Why don't you let him know he can go back to the Ministry? Ask him to tell Amelia to be at our house at eight, and then contact Minerva. I need to bring you up to speed on something we've discovered at work."

"You think it's related."

"I know it is." Remus nodded and walked down the hallway Kitty had just come through. Kitty entered the room and wanted to cry at what she saw. Harry looked horribly pale, and they had his arms and legs magically restrained. A Healer was carefully scribing notes into Harry's chart. She watched the different spells monitoring Harry's breathing, heart rate, brain waves, and a few other signs Kitty didn't know what they were.

"Hello, I'm Kitty Fawley, Harry's mother," Kitty said, offering her hand.

"I'm Healer Mae Tinker," the woman said gently. She was a slight woman, only five-foot-two at the most. Her hair was so pale it was nearly white, although her skin was a lovely, warm brown that reminded Kitty of freshly baked bread. However, her eyes were the most striking thing about her, for they were a violet-blue Kitty didn't think she'd ever seen before.

"I was at work when all this happened," Kitty explained. "What's wrong with Harry?"

"Sit down, please." Healer Tinker said. "I heard you speaking outside the door. Did Mr. Lupin relay the story of what happened before Harry's arrival?"

"As best as he could," Kitty confirmed. "There are still a few holes that I'm hoping Sirius will be able to confirm when his injuries have healed." Healer Tinker nodded.

"Harry arrived here in an unconscious state," the healer said. "We were able to rouse him, but when we did, he became combative, asking for you, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin. The latter came in, but in the ensuing chaos, Harry accidentally hit one medi-witch with his hand and sent an electrical charge through an orderly. Because of this, we sedated him. Now that he's calmer, and you're here with him, we can bring him out of his sleeping state."

"Okay, hopefully, I can keep him calm."

"Before we proceed, I need to speak with you about something rather indelicate," she said, and Kitty braced herself. "Did you know there is a mass inside your son's skull? It is located behind his scar."

Kitty looked at the Healer as if she were no longer human, before swaying and slumping into unconsciousness.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: This is the longest chapter to date, although they do seem to be getting longer and longer as I write. A whole lot of pieces begin to fit together in this chapter. Oh, and Dumbledore is back. Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, MNF**

**Chapter 26:**

**Policy of Truth**

"I can fire call the others and postpone until you're just a bit stronger," Kitty suggested, helping move Sirius to the library. He'd been lounging in bed since he'd come home from St. Mungo's late this afternoon.

"Kitty, there's a mass in Harry's head behind his scar," he said emphatically. "We don't know what that thing is but given some of his strange behavior over the last two years, I think it's safe to assume it's related to the scar Voldemort gave him."

"I know, but we're to be married in a few weeks, and I don't want you to keel over before you can say your vows due to blood loss or infection," she countered.

"It's not a few weeks, my Lady Katie, it's two weeks. Two weeks from today, you and I will be married, and nothing is going to keep that from happening," he said as he sat down heavily in a padded rocker which was brought in for his use.

"Nothing, my Luv, nothing," Kitty affirmed, which she punctuated with a kiss. Remus came in, looking worse for the events of the day.

"You look terrible," Sirius said to his friend.

"As if you should be talking," Remus playfully bit back. Sirius' open wounds were now closed, but they remained red and raw looking, and his eye was still black and blue. He'd be plied with more potions before bed tonight. "The strangest thing just happened. Healer Tinker sent me an owl message, asking if I'd like to go to dinner with her sometime next week."

"Excellent," Kitty said. "She asked if you were single, so I was hoping that was where she was headed. You need to go. She seems genuinely nice."

"Isn't it against some patient/healer ethical thing?" Remus countered.

"You're not her patient, Harry is. You're not even the parent of her patient, you are Harry's very cool uncle," Kitty countered. "Say yes, it's only dinner. Just don't make it for next Thursday."

"My date for full moon nights is right there," he said, pointing at Sirius, who had dozed off in his chair. "He should be in bed."

"I know, but he's determined we have this discussion tonight, and I can only have it with Amelia and King here," Kitty said. "Did you check on Harry before coming in?"

"I did, and Rumple was watching over him while he slept."

"Excellent," Kitty said, sounding exhausted. Remus came to her side and hugged her. Whatever Kitty thought she knew was obviously horrible. Cheery brought Amelia and King in moments later, as they had arrived together. She would need to quiz her friend about this, as it wasn't the first time they'd come somewhere together. Personally, Kitty thought they'd make a great couple, but she couldn't share that with Amelia without a few more facts. The thought made her smile, even as dire as the revelation she'd make was, there was still time for romance.

The three DMLE made quiet small talk with Remus, letting Sirius nap until Minerva arrived. Cheery brought in tea and then quietly left, promising to be with Rumple and Harry while the others talked.

"This came in after you left today," Amelia said, handing Kitty the printed transcript of a voice message which had been translated.

"That thing killed Nott?" Kitty asked horrified. "How did he get this –"

"Our spy's handler met him when an emergency notification was triggered. The phial with the memory will be available at the DMLE tomorrow for you to view, but these are the highlights," Amelia explained.

"I didn't even know that thing had magic," Kitty said.

"Our theory seems more likely, Kitty. I'm sorry." Kitty nodded, and Remus stood and put his shoulders on his friend.

Minerva came into the room, finding the group rather morose. Kitty dropped privacy and silencing spells onto the room and then nodded to Amelia to pull the file from her bag. Gently, she awoke Sirius, who nodded at everyone and asked for some tea.

"Kitty and I have been reviewing these photographs for weeks," Amelia began, and took the pictures out of the file. "These are taken from the memories a spy embedded in the Mulciber holiday home in Orhid, Yugoslavia. As you can see, the four families we discovered had homes there – Mulciber, Avery, Nott, and Malfoy – are all present. This is who or what was presiding over the dinner at the head of the table." She pulled the picture of the creature she and Kitty had taken to calling 'the baby.' The only other one who had seen these imagines was Scrimgeour, so even Kingsley was taken aback by its small body, pasty white skin, and glowing red eyes.

"Dear Mab, what is that thing," Minerva whispered, her hands going to her mouth.

"You think that's what's controlling those families?" Kingsley asked. "That's what killed Nott?"

"That's him, isn't it?" Remus queried. "That's what's left of him."

"How could you not tell me?" muttered Sirius, looking at his fiancée hurt.

"I couldn't tell you," she said quietly. "If it were found out that Amelia and I were sharing this with you, any of you, we could lose our jobs. I wanted to tell you."

"Wait," Sirius said, sitting up straighter, "you think this thing is connected to Harry? You think that mass in his head is Voldemort?"

"I don't think what's in Harry's head is alive; not like that whatever-it-is. I think what's in Harry's head is some part of Voldemort that broke off when the Killing Curse rebounded. Healer Tinker said that the magical signature was not the same as the rest of Harry. I did some of our usual spells on it, and it had Dark magic. Harry does not have any Dark magic anywhere except by that scar."

"Shite," Minerva said, and the rest looked at her surprised. "Please, all of you, I'm not all different than you are, just older." The moment of laughter allowed the tension to be alleviated.

"I also think that when that creature lost its temper this afternoon and murdered Nott, that the bit in Harry also exploded in anger. What time were you hurt?" Kitty asked.

"After lunch, about one," Sirius said.

"The time tracks, given what our spy said," Amelia confirmed.

"Then, that really is a part of his soul in Harry," Remus said, methodically putting the bits together. "How is there a bit of Voldemort in Harry? Do you know what it could be?"

"No," Kitty and Amelia said.

"Yes," Sirius said. All turned their attention to him. "Look, my family wasn't like a normal family. They worshiped Dark magic like some people worship God. My grandfather and his cousin were obsessed with immortality, and they were both Death Eaters. I don't know what exactly they've done. They are both alive when many of their generations died during the war. Of course, they tended to provide Voldemort with gold, not with bodies to fight. That's what Reggie was." Sirius rarely mentioned his brother. Kitty took his hand, knowing how painful his brother's taking the Dark Mark had been.

"They would talk, back when I was a little boy, about ensuring immortality by splitting your soul and putting part of it **into** something," Sirius explained, looking like he was going to pass out while he talked. "It's called a, hor, hora…Horcrux. There are books about them at Grimmauld Place. That's what passed as a dinner conversation in our house."

"_Accio Horcrux book,_" Kitty said with a flourish of her wand. Nothing came to her.

"Kitty, Luv, your family was too proper to involve themselves in this sort of Dark magic. Your family is old, not evil," Sirius said softly.

"Splitting your soul? I can't imagine how you would do that?" Kingsley said softly.

"Murder." Sirius's one-word answer hung in the air like a dark cloud ready to break into torrents of rain on the assembled.

"He'd just murdered James and Lily," Remus said with tears in his eyes. "But why would he use Harry?"

"I don't think he planned to," Amelia said gently. "He might have had something else there to use, or it was completely unplanned on his part. The Killing Curse isn't supposed to backfire or leave a mark. Harry was the _only_ instance when it did."

"Albus had said there was a dire threat made upon James and Lily's lives, something about a prophecy and a child being able to stop something, but it also could have pertained to Alice and Frank Longbottom. I wish I could remember what he said," Minerva said. "We all thought Harry had done it when Voldemort disappeared. Albus never believed that Voldemort was dead, just gone. I suppose he was right."

"James told us about the prophecy," Remus said. "He told Sirius and me at the same time. That's why they went into hiding. After that, Dumbledore had me running missions all over Europe, meeting with werewolf packs, trying to turn them to our side."

"Is that what you were doing?" Sirius asked. "Why didn't you tell us, me?"

"Dumbledore said I couldn't. He said no one could know."

"Well, I think we've had enough secrets for one lifetime," Minerva said. "we need to know exactly what that prophecy said. It might be important for the removal of that…thing in little Harry's head."

"I also want to talk with the curse-breaker who is helping me remove my prison tattoos," Sirius said, leaning back. "He might know how to remove it without causing brain damage to Harry."

"Come to my office on Sunday afternoon, say two o'clock," Minerva said. "All of you. I'll have Albus there, and we will get some answers." She was now reminding the former Gryffindor students of their Head of House rather than the friend they've met with for the last few years.

The meeting broke up shortly after that, everyone exhausted from what they'd discussed and learned. The entire group felt confident whatever was in Yugoslavia was related to what was happening to Harry.

Remus helped Kitty move Sirius into their bed, and she plied him with his potions, so he fell into a deep, restorative sleep. When she knew he was resting comfortably, she went to sit in the living room, unable to quiet her mind. She wished she'd paid more attention to James and Lily in the years before leaving, rather than being wrapped up in work and her own relationships. Sunrise the next day was obscured by thunder clouds, and daybreak was barely noticeable from the previous night's dark. Finally, Kitty crawled into her bed, snuggled next to Sirius, and allowed herself a few hours of sleep, her arms wrapped protectively around their child.

Less than forty-eight hours after their illuminating and disturbing meeting in the Fawley Library, the group was reassembled at Hogwarts. Harry had become quite fond of Ron and Ginny Weasley, so when Kitty Floo-called the previous day to ask if Harry could spend a few hours at their home in the afternoon, Molly readily agreed. She was so thankful for the time her youngest spent each morning with Remus and his other little pupils. She especially liked the manners Ron had picked up from Neville and Harry.

Remus brought Sirius through the Floo since Sirius was still weak, and Kitty Flooed in from the Weasley house. Apparently, they were called to Minerva's office so frequently for one of the boys and their mishaps and behavior the Floo was permanently open. Apparently, Charlie's flying adventures were enough to warrant his own bed in the hospital wing and Molly's frequent arrivals to check on him and then scold him.

At exactly two-thirty, there was knocking on Minerva's door. Kitty took Sirius' hand, not wanting to lose her temper at the Headmaster. She was still quite angry at his placement of Harry with the Dursley family. The political price he paid was nothing compared to the pain, injury, and insult Harry had suffered.

"If I am interrupting…" Albus Dumbledore said hopefully when he saw the crowd in Minerva's sitting room.

"Nonsense, Albus, we all would like to speak with you, which is why I suggested we speak this afternoon. Please, have a seat," Minerva said with unfailing manners tinged with the tone which let her students know they needed to obey. "Would you like some tea?"

"Please," he said, feeling uneasy at the five sets of eyes looking at him. Gathered here were five of the most impressive students he'd seen in recent decades. Of course, Sirius could have behaved better, but his ingenuity was one way he developed his skills. He was intuitive in his magic; the other four were impeccable in their studies.

"Sirius, you look like you have had a terrible tangle with something," Albus said, taking in the raven-hair man and the copious scars across his face and arms. "I hope you are alright?"

"I'm getting better," Sirius said stoically. "These are all from Harry, well, more appropriately, from a surge of anger that flew out of his scar. Anything you'd like to tell us, Albus?"

"Anger, from his scar? It is just a scar left behind by the Killing Curse when he was an infant," the Headmaster replied.

"See, no, it isn't," Kitty said, her bitter, angry, icy princess coming to the fore. "There is a mass behind Harry's scar. It's a mass full of Dark magic, Albus. What do you suppose it could be?" She dared him with her flaming eyes, jaw set solidly, and awaited him to blink. He did long before she would have.

"I had always worried, perhaps, that Voldemort had…" he trailed off. "I supposed part of him had been left behind."

"Yes, a part of him was left behind," Remus said in a more measured tone than he thought Sirius or Kitty could. "It's part of his soul. Voldemort made Harry a Horcrux, although we suspect it wasn't his intention."

"How do you know about Horcruxes?" Albus asked hastily, the color draining from his already pale cheeks.

"I grew up in a Dark family," Sirius said as an off-handed remark. "Discussion of such things is what passed for polite conversation. We've read the complete manual on them, pretty evil magic."

"Yes, it is," Albus said dumbly.

"That is not all they have found," Minerva said, still in her teacher's voice. "Amelia, if you would be so kind." Amelia pulled only one picture of the creature in Yugoslavia out of her satchel. He sighed, took his half-moon glasses off, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Albania?" he softly asked.

"No, Ohrid, Yugoslavia," Amelia answered. "It's not far from the border between the two countries, though." Albus nodded.

"I had tracked it as far as Albania, but then I lost its trail," he muttered so softly that the only one who heard him was Minerva. "I assume you suspect what this is?"

"We think it's what's left of Voldemort," Kingsley stated. "However, the only people who know that are in this room."

"Albus, when you put James and Lily into hiding, you said there was a prophecy. None of us knows what it said, and as you know, even the head of the DMLE can't go and hear it," Minerva said, indicating Amelia. No one knew of the impending recommendation to remove Dumbledore and replace him, yet, it was just gossip that King had shared after speaking with Amelia. "Please tell us. All of it, Albus; if you omit anything, I shall know."

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..." _Albus uncomfortably began,_ "born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives."_

The group was quiet, then discussions between them broke out. Remus and Sirius rehashed what they remembered from James speaking with them six years ago; Kingsley and Amelia considered the legal implications of this; Minerva and Kitty talked about what magic Harry could know Voldemort did not. Dumbledore sat there, defeatedly, waiting for him to be necessary to their conversations again.

"You never told them all of it," Sirius snarled as he stood. "You only told them Voldemort was after them, not because of Harry and certainly not that Harry would be the one to do **him** in! If you had told them everything, they would have gone anywhere else. I bet Frank and Alice would have too. You didn't tell them because you didn't want all of us to leave!"

"Sirius, calm down," Kitty said softly in his ear as she came to stand next to him. "Don't hurt yourself, please."

"We were in a time of war, and the group of you, I had never seen a whole year of students from any house so banded together. Even Frank and Alice, who were a year ahead of you, were part of your group. If I had told them…" Dumbledore mumbled.

"Yeah, we get it, Albus," Kitty said coldly. "You needed your spies and soldiers right where you could manipulate and control them. I have one question for you, do you know how many Horcruxes he made?"

"That is your only question? Not how to get rid of them or how they're made?"

"Nope," Sirius said, "the Black Family Library has that covered."

"Well, what about the bit of him that's alive? Surely, you need help with …"

"No, not really. We already have a plan," Amelia said. "Whatever the Death Eaters are planning to bring him back, they're not getting the chance."

"I see," he said dejectedly.

"No, Albus, I doubt you do," Minerva said with a pat on his back. "Goodbye all, I'll speak with you soon." There wasn't going to be comfortable chit-chat about children or how the school year was going. No stories about Transfiguration errors students have made, or some of the dumb situations people found themselves in when any branch of the DMLE showed up. No, Harry and his friends' stories today. Their work was done, and the five were tired. They left through the Floo, not saying another word except to thank Minerva for their tea. When the two Hogwarts staff members were left alone, Albus looked at Minerva with tears.

"I thought I was doing what was best for the Greater Good."

"I know, old friend, but the Greater Good must be chosen for oneself, not have it forced upon by someone else," she said, sitting down next to him. "James and Lily would have asked for your council, but they might have chosen to go along their own path too, and you couldn't see how that would work within the narrow plan you'd decided upon. One thing I've learned being involved with them," she said with a nod toward the fireplace, "especially those two Marauders and Kitty; they see dozens of paths and take the one best for Harry."


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: I had a great time writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. MNF**

**Chapter 27:**

**Somebody**

**April 30, 1986**

Kitty Fawley was in the Auror offices for the last time for the next seventeen days. The next day she was getting married, and then she took two weeks off from 'office work.' Amelia would continue to send her information from Yugoslavia even while the happy family was on their 'familymoon' as she was calling it. Sirius and Kitty were taking Harry and Remus with them on their wedding trip to show Harry some of Europe's great cities. When they returned, he would have the Horcrux removed from him. They would have done it sooner, but Brightsword was unavailable, and after speaking with him, Sirius was determined the goblin and his partner, Fairblade, were the people to work with Healer Tinker and her team. She would be at the wedding tomorrow, as Remus had asked her to be his date. They'd gone to out for dinner twice, which made Kitty smile.

Returning from the loo, somewhere she'd been too many times in the course of the afternoon, she found a short woman in an obnoxiously pink blouse and equally awful pink plaid robes in her office, carefully picking over the few files on Kingsley's desk. Ailill wasn't at his post, so this woman had just let herself in.

"Can I help you?" Kitty said in her iciest voice.

"Oh, well, I was looking for a quill to leave Auror Shacklebolt a note with," she said.

" There's a self-inking one right there in the cup on his desk," Kitty said. King did not use traditional quills and ink pots as he tended to knock them over. Most of the time, he wrote in pencil. Kitty was an abomination in the Auror department as she used a Muggle Biro and had a desk full of them. The discovery while in New Zealand turned her away from sloppy quills and wet, drippy ink forever.

"Yes, well, I'm a traditional witch," she said with a tone of superiority that made Kitty want to take her down a few notches. "I prefer a proper quill."

"I see, then I must not be a 'proper witch' since I write with a Muggle style Biro," Kitty bit back. "Tell me the message, and I'll relay it to Auror Shacklebolt."

The pink-clad witch began to panic, which made Kitty need to stifle a bit of a laugh as she sputtered. "Why don't we start with your name."

"Delores Umbridge, executive assistant to Cornelius Fudge, Magical Patrols Office," she said, and Kitty cocked an eyebrow in the same way her fiancé did.

"He needs more than one assistant?" Kitty asked condescendingly.

"Well, no," she snapped back. "I was with Cornelius before his move. I stayed with him. He allowed me to keep my title, although my pay was cut," she said under her breath. "You ruined his chances at becoming Minister for Magic."

"I had nothing to do with his transfer," Kitty said, acknowledging the comment which wasn't meant to be heard. "All he needed to do was arrange a trial. Barty Crouch Jr. shouldn't have been trusted as easily as he was, considering he was a Death Eater. When _he_ was sent to Azkaban, everyone he arrested should have been given a new trial. Cornelius didn't do that, which is why he was reassigned. Now, your message for Auror Shacklebolt, Ms. Umbridge?"

"Tell him to turn his rosters in on time." The vitriol in her voice was disconcerting.

"Fine," Kitty said. "In the future, if our assistant isn't outside, please wait until he returns."

"That half-breed has no business working for the Ministry."

"It's not nice to call someone a half-breed. He is half-human, half-FireElf, and is a highly competent, fully sentient person in his own right, and we are fortunate to have him as **our **assistant. I know about your thoughts on things like blood status."

"Surely, **you** must agree with me?" Delores asked, turning a violent shade of red that clashed with her hot-pink top horribly. "Families like ours need to remain pure."

"Ah, you're one of those," Kitty said derisively with a look on her face like she'd tasted something sour. "You've left your message, now please leave." Kitty knew she was being short, but this woman was awful. She wouldn't be surprised to find Fudge was spying on them both, or just her.

"What did she want?" Amelia asked as she strode into Kitty's office.

"Honestly, I think she was snooping for Fudge. She wanted to make sure he filed some paperwork thing about rosters. That's the stuff Ailill handles for him since King is pants at his paperwork," Kitty said. "What brings you here? I'm about to leave for my mani/pedi." Amelia would be assisting Kitty in getting dressed tomorrow, seeing she was the closest girlfriend she had.

"I just wanted to show you some intel," Amelia said. "I think it will make you take a bit of a detour on your familymoon." She handed Kitty a photograph, and Kitty's eyes went wide.

"What does she want?"

"Sanctuary," Amelia said hastily. "Narcissa Malfoy has gone to the Slavic court to beg her relatives there for sanctuary."

"Well, we were toying with going to the courts anyway, just to pay respects after our marriage and let my whatever-great aunt know a new branch of the family was born. Wow. Sirius can always protect them if they want to return to Britain, he's the Black family head."

"However you want to handle it, it's fine," Amelia said. "I just want to know why she's left Lucius. Go. Pamper yourself, and I'll see you around ten tomorrow."

"I won't argue with you," Kitty said before waving a wand over her desk. "There, now only You, King, and Ailill can go through things on or in my desk. Don't drink all my elf-made wine, okay?" Amelia laughed, and the pair left her office.

The next morning, precisely at ten, Amelia arrived to help Kitty get dressed. Remus oversaw Harry, as they didn't plan to put him into his formal robes until about five minutes before he would be needed. He was going to walk with Kitty and Sirius into the circle. Kitty was remarkably calm, which made Amelia concerned.

"Did you overdose on potions or something?" she asked.

"No, I just am not anxious. Sirius is the love of my life, and while there were some detours along the way, we've loved each other since we were kids; long before Hogwarts. Today is just a legal and magical binding of what our hearts have already done. " Kitty said, "This little nudger," holding her now slightly protruding belly, "is all the binding we really need. However, we're doing the wedding before the baby is born so there won't ever be any doubt about them holding the House of Black titles when they're older and Sirius passes them on."

"Well, that's all well and good, but there are only ten-minutes until the photographer wants to take some solo pictures, and then of the three of you, so let's get you into these robes, shall we?" Amelia asked excitedly, and she was rewarded with a brilliant smile from Kitty.

"You know you really are stunning when you smile."

"Thank you," Kitty said with a blush. "I can't do it too much in the Ministry offices though. People will think the ice princess has gone."

"Kitty, only your closest friends would ever believe that. I've seen you at work." The pair laughed, and Amelia took the dress down from where it was hanging on the bathroom door in its protective sleeve. The train was in a separate bag.

The inner gown was created from thousands of purple, lavender, plum, iris, wisteria, and lilac silk roses, stitched by hand and then sewn onto the fine silk mesh bodice. There was a deep plunge in the middle, although none of Kitty's breasts were shown. The back was similar, with an equally deep plunge. The delicate layers of silk created the skirt as well, and when Kitty moved, she looked like an iridescent purple rainbow. The train attached at the wide ribbon waistline and had some of the same roses near the waist, eventually giving way to the Fawley family crest embroidered in its royal blue and gold at the six-foot train's end.

"Should I even ask where this dress came from since we had no luck when we were shopping?"

"The same designer who made my Christmas Ball dress a few years back. I love magical gowns. They fit you perfectly, regardless of your size changing." No one would know Kitty was pregnant, although given who was attending, she was sure everyone knew. The big question would be whether Kitty's parents came or not. They were the only people who had not RSVP'ed. Kitty waved her wand, and in an instant, her hair and makeup were done.

A knock at the door alerted Kitty that her three favorite men had arrived.

"Merlin, Katie…" Sirius said as he entered. "You are stunning."

"Auntie Kitty, you look like a garden!" Harry said.

"You are beautiful, Kitty," Remus said. "Prettiest bride I've ever seen."

"Isn't that the truth," Sirius muttered, still under whatever spell Kitty had cast on him. He leaned over carefully to give her a kiss. He and Harry were dressed in pale grey dress robes with purple ties. Sirius had even gone so far as to wear shoes instead of his usual boots. The scars from the magical attack two weeks previous were so faint if you didn't know they were there. Remus wore a dark blue set of robes with a pale lavender tie.

The pictures were annoying, but over quickly enough. Remus went to Mae Tinker when Cheery announced she had arrived. At precisely eleven o'clock, the trio walked onto the back patio. They were greeted by their friends – The Weasley Family, The Longbottoms, Kingsley, Amelia, Ailill with his wife, Lindsay, Mae Tinker, Remus, and Minerva. The last would be serving as the officiant, although magical weddings didn't generally require a vicar or even a judge. Usually, the elder of the group or eldest family member directed the pair through their handfasting and magic sharing. Paperwork was produced by the Ministry of Magic, which held up in the Muggle world, should such a thing be needed.

Sirius and Kitty went to the center of the ring, while Harry went to stand with Ginny and took her hand. He needed her to calm him down. It wasn't every day your parents adopted you.

"Friends, we are here today to witness three people coming together to create a new family. Ekaterina Aurelia Lovisa Fawley, Sirius Orion Black, and Harry James Potter have come of their own free will, through love, to join in the journey of life as a husband, wife, mother, father, and son. Will you lift your wands and make this circle a sacred space?" In unison, those who had wands made a counterclockwise swirl, and the interior of the circle glowed yellow before the color dissipated.

"May I have the rings?" Minerva asked, and Harry went to Minerva, still holding Ginny's hand, and gave her the two wedding bands in his pocket. "Thank you."

"The circle itself is an infinite thing, it's magic having no beginning and no closure. Love is like a circle, for there is always room for more love in our lives, and to give more love than before. It flourishes and blooms in the light and fights the darkness in our world. Love has no ultimatums, no demands. It cannot be forced or taken away. It is a gift we give away from our souls' depths, and we are given it in the same way.

"The love of family is the most sacred form there is. Parents love their children with an ever-growing fashion. Children love their parents with an understanding which changes as they age. The love of the couple at the center of this family is the most sacred gift that can be given; it is the most magical. The universe smiles at the love Kitty and Sirius have for each other, and it brings us such joy that it is hard not to smile or sing when we witness their joy.

"Kitty and Sirius are halves of a whole. Two souls come together to form one magical being. Their hearts will now beat in unison, and their light will be a beacon in the darkness for anyone near."

Minerva pointed her wand at the rings. "Bless this marriage with gifts from fire – passion stirred with the sun's passing from sunrise to sunrise. May they always communicate with one another in a loving and just way." The rings caught fire while in Minerva's hand, although they did not burn her. The fire was trapped inside the platinum of the bands, however, and they shone brightly.

"Bless this marriage with gifts from the earth. May their home be one of comfort, relaxation, and safety. May they never want for the basics of life; food, shelter, and clothing." A small vine grew from Minerva's palm and left an imprint of a leaf on each of the delicate bands.

"Bless this marriage with gifts from the waters. May they have the zeal of a rushing river, the cleansing of a soft rainstorm and their commitment as deep as the ocean." Water cascaded from Minerva's finger tips, washing the rings and giving them a glint they did not have before.

"Bless this marriage with gifts from the air. May their disagreements pass like a breeze through the trees surrounding their home. May they solve their problems quickly and return to this place of unity when needed." A gentle breeze kicked up, causing the layers of Kitty's skirt to stir, and the rings now had a wind-like swirl on them.

"Sirius, will you face Kitty taking her left hand in yours?" Minerva asked, and Sirius complied, taking the ring from her hand. "Please give Kitty her ring. Do you promise to show Kitty your honor and fidelity? To share her laughter and joy, to support and stand by her in times of difficulty? To dream and hope together with her and spend each day loving her more than the day before?"

"I do," Sirius said, "a thousand times over." The group gave a happy chuckle, and the ring was placed next to the engagement ring, which had caused them so many issues only a few months ago. Magically it fitted itself to the older ring and settled on her hand.

Kitty repeated the ring vows, without the extra emphasis in her answer. Minerva then invited the couple to tip their wands together and share in the marriage vows they had written. Speaking in one voice, Kitty and Sirius said:

_As we are joined today, we become part of each other,_

_ Your feelings are mine, too._

_ Your sorrows are halved, for I share them._

_ Your joys are greater as I share them with my best friend. _

_ Your magic becomes my magic. _

_I will never raise my wand in anger at you._

_ Your heart will always beat with mine._

_ I promise I will comfort and care for you,_

_ Be your best friend, forever,_

_I will share the ordinary days and the exceptional ones. _

_ I will make the complicated days simple. _

_ And the darkest days light._

_ My love for you is unshakable. _

_From this day forward, I am yours, and you are mine. _

Minerva then took their wands, handed them to Remus, and then directed them to hold their left hands together. With a flick of her wand, cords of light sprang from the end and wound around the couple's conjoined hands and wrists.

"This cord of light symbolizes your life, your love, your magic, and the eternal connection you have found with each other. The ties of this ceremony are not formed by light. They are forged by your hearts and your magic. Your vows, spoken and received, act as an unbreakable connection between you. You are now bound as one. Sirius and Kitty, will you seal your binding with a kiss?" It was chaste but passionate. When their lips met, the golden cords faded into their hands, faintly leaving a mark on their skin—an unmovable sign of their union.

"Now, Harry, would you please come forward and join Kitty and Sirius?" Harry let go of Ginny's hand and came to stand between his new parents. When he was in place, Sirius looked down at him and spoke. "I saw your first steps, and know what your first word was – it was 'doggy' by the way – and while I wish your mum and dad were here to take care of you, know that I will always be there for you, as a dad. I will love and protect you forever because you are my pup and the son of my heart."

The trio had tears in their eyes, and Kitty had to gather herself before she spoke. "From the day you were born, I was blessed to know you. You are an amazing and wonderful little boy, and I could not love you more than I do – not even if you had grown in my belly like your little sister or brother. Thank you for letting me love you. I vow to be the mum you need today and every day for the rest of my life."

Minerva stopped the couple from saying the last of their vows because Harry had prepared his own vow unbeknownst to them. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robes, which made Kitty inwardly cringe. Harry said, "I don't remember my mummy and daddy" he said with a clear and loud voice. "I know they loved me because you've told me every day since I came to live with you. I'm safe here, and I don't wonder what it is like to be cared for by parents, because you love me. I hope my first mum and dad don't get upset, but I want to call you mum and dad because you are. You are my mum and dad, and I love you."

"Oh, Harry," Kitty said, crouching to hug him. "I love you too." Sirius knelt too, embracing his new wife and son.

"We both love you, son." There wasn't a dry face in the crowd, save the Weasley boys, although Ron and Ginny were both happy and proud of their friend, and had a few tears.

Kitty and Sirius stood up, Sirius holding Harry and Kitty wrapping her arm around her boys. The couple said together, "We become the parents of Harry. We promise to help each other and guide each other to be the best parents we can be. We will love you always, and our love will never fade. Forever, we are a family."

Minerva gathered herself enough to speak. "May I present the Fawley-Black family."

To everyone's surprise, the end of Kitty's train, her family crest, began to shift and change. The Fawley crest, a Golden Phoenix with a crown on its head on a background of royal blue, shifted until the Phoenix was on the left side of a heraldic shield of pure white. The crown was now at the top of the shield, a wide band of the royal blue across the middle and a shining silver sword at the bottom. Beneath the shield was the name Fawley-Black, above at set of wings which were spread wide, as if to shelter the more vulnerable beneath. There were many sounds of surprise and wonder as this bit of magical embroidery played out. It was followed by clapping and cheers before the trio was engulfed in hugs and well wishes. When Sirius put Harry down, Ginny ran into his arms and planted a great big kiss on his lips.

"I love you, too, Harry."


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: I write in a very planned manner, setting my stories out ahead of time and generally sticking to the progression of chapters and ideas I've written out. That being said, late one night while I was trying to sleep these two characters stomped into my head and told me they were going to be in the story. Yeah. So, they're in the story. Thank so much for reading and reviewing, MNF**

**Chapter 27:**

**Never Let Me Down Again**

**May 4, 1986**

**Slavic Royal Court**

**Vienna Austria**

** "**Explain to me again how Narcissa and I are married into the Slavic court? Sirius asked Kitty, the couple were dressing for their visit today. Kitty's second cousin, once removed, confirmed Narcissa and her son Draco were still there today. Sirius was hopeful he could provide his cousin and childhood playmate and her son with lasting protection.

"Quick and dirty explanation, Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria had only one magical child, Arch-Duchess Johanna. She was hidden away from the public because of her magical abilities. She married Phineas Black, the one who supported Muggle rights. Although they were incredibly rich, they had no children of their own, which the Black family had no problems in claiming his wealth upon his death. You and Narcissa are his Great-Great-niece and nephew. You don't share any blood with anyone in the court. Still, you're recognized as being descendants by the marriage of Emperor Franz-Joseph I, King of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and the first Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I, on the other hand, am a direct descendant of the Emperor, so I'm a princess. Make sense?" Kitty looked over to where he was putting on his formal robes and laughed at his bemused face.

"If we don't share any blood, why is Cissy given sanctuary here?" he asked.

"Because they don't want those families doing whatever it is they're doing in Yugoslavia any more than we in the British Ministry do. To turn their backs on her, especially with her son in tow, it would bring the full force of the other Magical Courts down on them, not to mention facing possible retaliation for rejected them by the British Ministry for Magic; and pissing me off. Although, if I were her, I would have gone to the Russian Magical Court, since your Great-Great-Grandmother was Princess Tatiana, the illegitimate daughter of Czar Alexander II. She married Ophiuchus Black, the father of the first Sirius and Phineas Nigellus. Of course, she was thrown out of the Russian Magical court and disowned because she married a Frenchman. The pair fled to England since a Russian wife was an issue in France for Ophiuchus."

"So, we are related?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, but barely. It's far more disconcerting to think about the relationship your mum and dad had. They were second cousins; we don't share more than one thirty-second of similar genetic material," Kitty shook her head. If Orion and Walburga had given birth to Bellatrix, it would explain her madness.

"I try not to think about my parents at all, let alone their sex life," Sirius said, physically shaking at the turn the conversation took. "I'm dressed, I'm going to go dress Harry. You sure we should take him with us?"

"I'm positive," Kitty answered. "I need to introduce him since I've adopted him. He is now a prince. Those who are left from the Greek and Swedish courts need to meet him. He may need to rely on that title someday."

"Doubtful," Sirius said as he left the room. "They're just old, bitchy women in the court." He wasn't lying. Kitty loathed the court, but she would pay her dues and genuflect properly, just like her title demanded.

Kitty wondered how long these magical courts would continue since so few European countries had actual, functioning monarchies anyway. Sure, Britain had a queen, but she was a figurehead more than anything. Kitty thought about what it must have been like when the court had real power, and people who had the titles Kitty did could make real change.

This was how Sirius found her ten minutes later, deep in thought, robes on but not closed in the back, hair only half up. Remus had warned him that she might become forgetful. It was a common problem with magical pregnancies. He had been reading books on the subject since Sirius seemed oblivious. Like everything else in his life, Sirius planned to go on instinct. Remus learned that soon-to-be-mothers would stop halfway through a task and get lost on some magical thought process. The other problem they had was unexpected discharges of magic, like burping flames or having sonic flatulence. Remus and Sirius had a friendly wager on what it might be with Kitty and the little one she was growing.

"Hey, Lady Katie, you almost ready?" he said softly, and it was enough to knock his wife out of her stupor.

"Oh, er, sorry," she said, her hand waving the wand to finish her hair. "I was thinking about magical courts."

"Anything in particular?" he said with a smirk.

"The usefulness of them. I'm ready if you can zip me up. I know I'm only four months pregnant, and I'm only showing a little bit, but can you tell in this dress?" she asked, the words tumbling out of her.

"Kitty, you look beautiful. When you're at home, wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, I can tell; in that gown, no way." Kitty nodded, and they left the family villa. Sirius held onto Harry, and Kitty took Remus with her. Although he could have stayed behind, he was fascinated by the idea of the court. He was being introduced as Harry's tutor, which was an important position for a young prince. He realized he would need to walk behind Sirius, Kitty, and Harry, but it was worth seeing how the court worked.

When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall of the Wizarding palace, _Zauberstab Gardens_, the guards asked for their name and her rank.

"I am Ekaterina Aurelia Lovisa Fawley-Black, Princess of the Magical nations of Greece, Sweden, and the former Austro-Hungarian Magical empire, Lady Kent heir to the Duchy of Cumberland. I am here with my husband, Earl Sirius Orion Fawley-Black of Bedford; our son, Prince Harry Potter Fawley-Black, Prince of Magical Greece, Sweden, and the former Austro-Hungarian Magical empire and heir to the Earldom of Somerset and his tutor, Remus John Lupin. We are here to pay a call to my great-great-aunt, the Dowager Princess Consort." Just marrying Kitty did not make Sirius a prince. However, Harry was given the title as he was recognized as the blood-sworn son of a princess. Any future children Kitty and Sirius would have would also carry the title, even if they never knew they did. Kitty was sure that in another twenty-five years, these Magical Courts would stop existing like most of the Muggle counterparts.

After their announced introduction, the quartet began to move through the room toward the Dowager's throne. Few in the room did not need to bow to Kitty, for she was a direct descendant of several deposed monarchs and carried her title without question. Technically, the Dowager Consort should have bowed to her, but there wasn't much you could make the nearly one-hundred-year-old woman do if she didn't want to. When they reached the throne, Kitty dropped into an incredibly low bow, the boy and men following suit. The Dowager Princess bid them rise.

"Auntie Anna," Kitty said warmly.

"My dear Ekaterina," the dowager said. "Come and give your old auntie a kiss, and then you may tell me about your handsome escorts." She might have been the wife of the late Prince of the former Austro-Hungarian Magical Empire, but she was born in Ireland and still spoke perfect English, even if it was tinged with her Irish brough. Kitty climbed the three steps to the top of the dais and kissed both her auntie's cheeks. She was glad she'd warned Harry about the peculiar odor the woman had – something like the mix of lemon, peppermint, and eucalyptus. Kitty thought it might be a way to keep her throat lubricated, since drinking anything while on the throne was forbidden. Stepping away from her aunt, Sirius offered his hand for balance as she walked down the steps backward.

"I have come to inform you about my wedding. This is my husband, Earl Sirius Orion Fawley-Black of Bedford." Sirius bowed again.

"I remember him," Anna said. "He made many of the court blush when he flirted with them." It was said with a conspiratorial grin.

"You look ravishing in that shade of yellow, your highness," Sirius said with a devilish grin.

"You never fail to disappoint," she said with a blush and a small smile. "I would thank you for keeping your flirting to a minimum while you are with us, please. I prefer to keep the men of the court from feeling the need to duel you."

"As you wish," he said with a tip of his head. Kitty rolled her eyes at the way everyone fell to the charms of her husband. Kitty chose to go ahead with her introductions, allowing Sirius to look for his cousin.

"This is our son, Harry Fawley-Black. He will one day be the Earl of Somerset." Kitty said. Harry bowed in a fair mimic of his dad.

"You will refer to him as Prince Harry," Anna directed. "How did he come to be in your care?"

"His mother and father were murdered by Voldemort," Kitty said calmly. The dowager princess blanched at the name. "Sirius and I were his godparents and legal guardians. We adopted him when we were married."

"Young man, what do you think of court?" Anna asked Harry, and he thoughtfully considered his answer.

"This room is nice, and the music is soft and pretty. I think the clothes are hard to move in. There aren't any other children, but otherwise, it's good," he answered. Kitty was concerned he hadn't been proper enough in his answer, but to her surprise, Anna laughed.

"Prince Harry, no one tells me the truth; they just say what they think I want to hear. I appreciate your honesty." Kitty and Sirius smiled with pride at their boy.

"This is my Uncle Remus, he's my teacher, and he's brilliant."

"Well, then, come sit here, and you can tell me all about what your brilliant teacher has taught you. Princess Kitty, Lord Sirius, your son will be safe with me. His tutor may stay here, should the young prince need something I cannot readily produce. I will have a chair brought for him."

"Thank you, Auntie Anna," Kitty said with a dip of her head. Harry climbed the stairs and was directed to sit in the padded chair next to her. His legs dangled, but he looked adorable in his velvet robes and tie. His shoes were even clean for a change.

"I suspect you did not arrive simply to tell me of your marriage and adoption. Lord Black. If you seek the Lady Malfoy, you will find her and her son in the west wing, first floor, third door on the left," Anna said gently. "I believe you can give her more assistance than I."

"You put her in the King's chambers?" Kitty said, surprised.

"When you see her, you will understand why I chose to pamper her. Her young son needed much care, as well. Be gentle with them, they are in terrible shape." Anna looked grave while she spoke, and Kitty kissed her son's cheek quickly and reminded him to be good; then, she and Sirius tipped their heads to her aunt and went to speak with Narcissa and Draco.

Sirius was glad he had Kitty with him, or he'd never have found his way around the maze of floors, wings, dead-ends, and staircases, which allowed a person to only go up some and down others. When he asked Kitty about it, she laughed.

"That's part of the fun of being in these old magical castles," she said. "It made playtime a delight when mother and I would visit. Part of the confusion, though, is created by dying enchantments. Unlike, say your house in Bedford, this place was built in stages. They didn't always match up with what was already here. Thankfully, when _Fawley House_ was added to, they matched plans and created entranceways from existing doors and windows. Even maps of this castle are wrong. If it were mine, I'd rip all the extensions off, take down the enchantments and start over logically.

"Is that why your castle in Scotland remains uninhabited?"

"Yes," Kitty said emphatically. "When I have time and energy, I will fix it so one of our children can live in it. Or maybe, we will want somewhere closer to Hogwarts when the children are there. If Harry is like you and James, we might need to be there just for the convalescent reasons. I don't even know how many nights you two were in the hospital wing."

"Roughly four-hundred-eighty days," Sirius answered immediately.

Kitty quickly did some sums in her head. "That's like a third of the time you were in school. You spent a third of your nights at Hogwarts in the hospital wing? No wonder you, James, and Remus had beds with your names on them. Dear Merlin help us if Harry has even half your…rashness in him."

When they reached the door and knocked, they were surprised to find a kindly house-elf open the door. Sirius asked if he could speak with Narcissa, and a faint, strained voice from within bade them enter. Draco was sleeping in the large, canopied bed. His hair was nearly as pale as the satin pillowcase beneath him. His face was severely bruised, and his left arm was in a stasis charm, the magical equivalent to a Muggle cast, used when bones had been broken by physical methods rather than magical means. Kitty closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to the god and goddess, wondering how much worse he must have been when they arrived a few days ago.

Narcissa was sitting on the bed on the opposite side. She had on loose pajama pants and a button-up top, which was only buttoned over her breasts. Her one hand was soothingly running her fingers through her son's hair. When she looked up, she smiled an unexpected and semi-toothless grin at her cousin. She had her left leg in a stasis charm, her abdomen was tightly bound, although there was a fine line of blood seeping through the bindings. Her face as in as bad of condition as her sons.

"I never thought I would be so relieved to see anyone as I am at seeing you, Siri," Narcissa spoke before she broke down crying. He was immediately at her side, having already removed his jacket and tossed it into a chair. He went to her and wrapped his arm across her shoulders as she leaned into his midsection. Kitty sat on the bed near her and took Narcissa's hand between hers.

"What happened?" Kitty asked when the other woman's tears had slowed. As Sirius had called her when they were children, Cissy checked to ensure her son was still sleeping and then began her tale.

"I was hoping if I came here, you'd find out," she started. "I had nowhere else to go, and we were too weak to make it back to England. Apparating to the gates of the castle nearly killed me; I Splinched myself." She indicated the bleeding place on her abdomen.

"When you arrived, my family notified me," Kitty lied. "There aren't many Brits who come to court. You've gained an ally in my great-great-auntie, the dowager. Please, tell us what happened to you and Draco. We are here to help, I promise."

"You're still an Auror, right?" Narcissa asked, and Kitty nodded. "Are you back to work at the Ministry?" she queried her cousin.

"No, I've done my time." There was venom in Sirius' voice.

"Right. I know you won't believe me, but I doubted you could have betrayed your friends, especially when the _Daily Prophet_ said you were a Death Eater. I unfortunately, knew all of them. You know they have homes in that Magical resort town, the one in Yugoslavia?"

"We do," Kitty confirmed.

"Good. After the raid on the Avery house, what remained of the potions ingredients was brought to our house, but the people went to the Mulcibers. The Dark Lord isn't dead," she said in hopes for a shocked look on the other pair's faces.

"We know," Sirius said.

"You're better informed than Abraxas, and his friends think you are," she said offhandedly. Sirius was beginning to feel anxious, wishing she'd just get on with her story. Kitty shot him a look to tell him to relax. He pulled up the chair he'd thrown his jacket on and sat down next to his cousin and wife. Kitty knew it took time for victims to get their stories out.

"A little over a week ago, the Dark Lord attempted a spell. He's trying to regain his strength because he's … I don't know what he is, other than pale and shriveled and frightening to look at. They created this potion, it used things I've never heard of before, and he forced Nott to drink it, but old Cantankerous was just too old, and he couldn't manage the transformation." Narcissa stopped and looked at Draco again. "He dropped dead only minutes after drinking it." Narcissa shuddered at the memory.

"Then they made little Theo drink it," she said, beginning to cry again. "The Dark Lord's soul had nearly transferred into the little boy completely, but then something happened, and his body rejected the Dark Lord. Theo was blown apart." Cissy was crying harder again, and Sirius stood to hold her again.

"My goddess, he was the same age as our Harry," Kitty whimpered, her face stained with tears.

"And my Draco," Cissy finally said. "That's why we ran. Abraxas offered my son as the next possibility. They needed to brew the potion again, making some adjustments to it. It gave me time to save him. Most of these injuries were made by Abraxas when he found me removing gold and other important documents from the safe in the house."

"Where was your husband?" Sirius bit.

"He said he agreed with his father, and I couldn't…I didn't believe he would let his son be killed, but Lucius was willing to sacrifice Draco to the Dark Lord. Our son. Our only child. Siri, I couldn't let him. I had to save my boy…" she trailed off into sobs.

"You're safe now," Sirius promised as he held her. "You are under the protection of the House of Fawley-Black. When you and Draco are strong enough, we will take you home and bind you to Grimmauld Place. Mother died, which means the houses, the gold, and the titles are mine. Neither of you will want for anything. I will get you the finest healers, and when Draco is ready, he can join Harry and his friends in their tutoring sessions."

"I'm not sure I want to be alone in that house. I don't know that…it won't be like when we were little," she said softly.

"Then, don't be. My house has more rooms than I could possibly fill. We can create you and Draco your own apartment, and I have two house-elves who will gladly welcome your elf…" Kitty said, waiting for a name.

"Dobby, Princess Ekaterina. Elves know all about how kind you are to Cheery and Rumple," Dobby said before returning his gaze on Draco.

"You are welcome to our home, Dobby," Kitty said with a warm smile. "As are you and Draco, Narcissa. However, I will warn you, if you intend to do me harm, the wards on my house will make the wounds you're suffering with now feel like scratches."

"I swear to you both we truly ran for our lives."

"I promise, Cissy, you are safe with me."


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: As I said before, I hadn't planned on Draco and Narcissa coming into this story, but they barged in and it changed the arc just a bit. I also know several people are waiting for Harry's surgery and the Horcrux hunt - they're in the next chapter. This chapter surprised me when I re-read it and realized the characters needed to prove they weren't evil. It's a soft chapter, a slice of daily life, but I hope you appreciate it. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. It's good to hear something positive once in a while. My next original work will be out soon, by the end of October. I'll leave information when the time comes here in the Author's Note. Thanks for reading again. MNF**

**Chapter 29:**

**In Chains**

**May 8, 1986**

**Fawley House**

Cheery was puttering around the dining room when Kitty and Sirius entered for breakfast that morning. They had returned from the magical court two days ago with Cissy and Draco in tow. The 'familymoon' had been postponed until after the baby was born, although it hadn't bothered any of them overly much. Harry had reveled in being one of the few children present in the court, spending many hours with his great-great-great-auntie, often being found on the dais with her. Remus found the library fascinating and undertook reading about Horcruxes and what would destroy them. Kitty and Sirius spent time with his cousin and her son and being newlyweds. They had kept Harry from meeting Cissy and Draco until his wounds were better healed; they didn't want Harry having flashbacks of his own traumatic time with the Dursleys.

The Malfoys had chosen to remain in their rooms all yesterday, but Kitty went and spoke with Cissy the night before, urging her to join them for meals. Cissy had been concerned they would be intruding, but Kitty assured her they were welcome.

Kitty had taken her seat at the breakfast table, and Cheery was bringing her dry toast and herbal tea when Cissy and Draco came in. "I'm so pleased you decided to join us today," Kitty said warmly. She went to stand, and nausea hit her hard, causing her to drop into the chair with an utter lack of grace. Sirius was immediately at her side.

"You can't stand up so fast," he reminded her gently. His hands immediately moved to touch her, one on her shoulder, the other resting on her abdomen.

"Yeah, yeah, even with the potion, morning sickness is horrible," Kitty grumbled.

"You're going to have a baby?" Cissy said in a cautiously happy tone. "Congratulations, Siri, and you too, Kitty."

"Thank you," Sirius replied. "Come get some food." He pointed to the buffet on the sideboard. "If there's something you want that isn't there, just ask the house-elves, they can get it. Harry should be here any minute; he was getting dressed. Remus is taking them outside today for class, so he was picking out a warmer sweater."

"How often does Harry have lessons with his tutor?" Narcissa asked while she chose a muffin from the platter on the sideboard, along with some fruit. Draco was happily piling bacon on his plate; his mother put half of it back before giving him some toast with jam and apple slices.

"This year they went to four mornings a week, Mondays are off most weeks. Come fall, the little group will meet five mornings a week and one afternoon too," Sirius explained. "Remus teaches them in maths, history – Magical, UK and world – sciences, English, penmanship, Potions basics and Herbology, elemental magic and a few simple charms which can be done without a wand. They're mostly household things like making the bed and personal cleansing." Sirius was quite proud of the way his friend had taken to teaching Harry and his friends. With what the Longbottoms were chipping in, Remus was now paid well enough that he was only tutoring a few Muggle students in the evening, and it was mostly for the pleasure of the children he was tutoring. "Oh, and I teach French, and Kitty teaches Latin."

"That's quite a well-rounded curriculum for one five-year-old," Cissy said.

"I'm not alone," Harry said as he came into the room. "Ron and Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom take classes with me." Cissy Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the names.

"Cissy, we don't classify families in this house," Sirius said firmly. "They're good people, and their children are delightful."

"I'm sorry not to have introduced myself when I came in," Harry said to Narcissa with his best manners. Spending time with the dowager princess had improved his etiquette immensely. "I'm Harry Fawley-Black, Mrs. Malfoy." He offered his hand, and Cissy took it with a fond smile on her face.

"Hello, Harry. I'm sorry we weren't properly introduced before. I'd like it if you called me Mrs. Cissy."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cissy. I understood when Uncle Remus brought me home by myself why we hadn't met. I'm glad you're feeling better." Cissy couldn't help smiling at the boy and his kind words.

"Draco, introduce yourself, please," she prompted her son.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said, putting his hand out. "You know you're famous for killing the Dark Lord, even though he isn't really dead." Harry warily took Draco's hand.

"I know," Harry said softly. "Voldemort killed my first mum and dad, and he gave me my scar; my new mum and dad and Uncle Remus have explained it to me. I didn't know he wasn't dead. Did you know, Dad?"

"Your mum and I suspected it, but since you're five, we didn't want to worry you," Sirius said, coming over to kneel in front of Harry. "You know you're perfectly safe here; nothing can hurt you while you're at home. We will always protect you, Harry."

"I know," Harry said. "Is that why Rumple stays with me when I go to the Weasleys or to Neville's?"

"That's exactly why," Kitty said. "He can have you back here instantly." Harry nodded his head, and then he hugged Sirius. Before the man had stood, Harry was already at the buffet, selecting some breakfast with Cheery's help.

"He knows quite a bit for someone so young," Cissy said softly, once the boys had begun discussing Quidditch.

"When we brought him home, he still remembered what had happened that night, vaguely," Kitty answered. "We decided that it would be better to be honest with him, answer his questions truthfully, but only give the information he asked about."

"Siri, you're a far better parent than I would have expected," Cissy said warmly. "It's not like we had great role models. Lucius wasn't a particularly good father – reminded me too much of yours."

"He is the one who set up the marriage for you," Sirius answered darkly. "Are you surprised he picked someone in his image?" Cissy thought about it for a minute and then shook her head. "If I'm any good at this, it's because Monty Potter taught me what a real father should be."

Remus entered the room to greetings of welcome and a quick hug from his favorite pupil. He gathered his breakfast and then sat down at the adult end of the table. The boys' conversation had moved on to Chocolate Frogs cards, Draco having left his collection behind, and Harry offering to share his. Cissy smiled at the genuine kindness Harry showed. She couldn't say if her son behaved in the same way if the tables were turned.

"Draco is welcome to join us today," Remus said. "We're going on a scavenger hunt of sorts for our Herbology lesson. Looking for certain blooms on trees and plants. Then we will visit the sheep, as a lamb was born last week, and Ginny has been begging to see it. We'll finish the morning off downstairs, since the house is closed to the public today, and talk about why King Henry VIII gave Kitty's family the land this house sits on."

"I'd like it if he did, I think it will be good for him," Cissy said honestly. "His only friend was Theo Nott, and well, he knows Theo died but not how or why. He needs new friends, although…I suppose Neville is fine, but the Weasleys? Really Siri?"

"Careful there, Cissy, your Black mania is peeking through," Sirius cautioned. "Molly is our cousin too, and I've found her and Arthur to be wonderful people. I think you'll find Ron and Ginny to be exceptionally sweet and caring."

Cissy nodded and sighed. "I've only ever been around pure-blood superiority, Siri; it's going to take some getting used to not thinking that way. Have you ever thought about what your parents would say to you marrying Kitty? Not only pure-blood but royalty?"

"I would have married her if she was a Muggle," Sirius said. Kitty smiled at him and took his hand in hers. Everyone finished eating, and Cissy didn't need to ask Draco if he wanted to join in the morning class, as Harry had already invited him, and they asked Remus for permission. Draco quickly went to Harry's room to get a warm sweater, and the trio was off. While Kitty had purchased some clothing for both Cissy and Draco while in Vienna, more was needed to have proper wardrobes. The two women and Sirius were planning on spending their morning going to Diagon Alley.

Later in the afternoon, well after lunch but before tea, Harry had invited Draco to fly with him, and Sirius was supervising the boys. They'd bought Draco a matching broom to Harry's while out shopping. Sirius had spoiled both mother and son in the shopping trip, figuring the gold was theirs as well. While this was going on, Kitty went to see how Cissy truly was feeling about leaving her husband and the ideals she'd grown up with. Kitty was surprised to see Cissy on the patio, working on one of her mother's half-finished needlepoints Cissy must have found. Her mother started lots of projects, then her father would be called away, and said needlepoint was left behind. There were a few at every residence the family had.

"I hope you don't mind that I picked this up?" she asked immediately, "I loved doing this when Lucius and I were first married. Once I had Draco, there was little time for such frivolities."

"I don't think anything that creates beauty is frivolous," Kitty answered gently. "I don't mind either. There were at least a half dozen projects left behind by my mother. If you'd rather start something from scratch, there's a shop in town I go to for yarn and such. Being pregnant has made me want to knit again." Cissy indicated Kitty should sit down, and the homeowner did.

"Nesting will make you do that," she said sadly. "I wanted to clean everything, but that isn't what a pure-blood does. House-elves clean," she added wistfully.

"How are you doing, really?" Kitty asked. Cissy was quiet for a long pause.

"I know I did the right thing," she began, "but it's so hard. I fell in love with my husband. I know most arranged marriages aren't loving, but ours was. I agreed with him about standards in the Wizarding world that magical educations should only be for those who come from magical families. We were true believers of the Dark Lord at first; Lucius is still today. I had a son, and while I wanted a good world for him to grow up in, I became more concerned about him just growing up. We thought it would be easy to cleanse the world, but first Uncle Orion died, then my father was sent to live in St. Mungo's because of a curse he was casting gone wrong, then Bella was sent to Azkaban. Mother fell to pieces and just sat. I was thankful when she died. Grandpa and great-uncle Arcturus are still alive, but they fled to Germany. I haven't seen either in years. I don't know if my grandmother is even alive anymore.

"After the defeat of the Dark Lord, though, Lucius changed. He wasn't interested in our son anymore, but he was obsessed with Harry Potter. It frustrated him to no end that they couldn't find the little boy and kill him."

"Dumbledore hid him in the Muggle world," Kitty said without giving any details. She wanted to believe Cissy was here because she wanted a different life, but her Auror insides told her to be wary. "He assumed that former Death Eaters might go after him."

"When Abraxas had us relocate to Yugoslavia a few years ago, Lucius became fanatical about restoring the Dark Lord. We, Draco and I, were more captives than family. I miss my husband, but I love my son more." Kitty nodded in understanding. "You're a very good mother."

"Much like Sirius said earlier, if I'm any good at this, it's because of Fee Potter. She was my real mother in so many important ways."

"I never thought of your parents as being on the Pure-blood side of things."

"They weren't on any side. When things started to get ugly in the early seventies, they left the country. I don't think they've spent more than fifteen days a year in the UK since," Kitty said sadly. "They were too busy to be at our wedding. They don't know I've adopted Harry into the family by blood and magic, and they don't know I'm having a baby."

"I'm sorry," Cissy said honestly and sincerely.

"I'm not," Kitty replied. "Much like Sirius and the pure-blood mania of the Black family, I'm not much like my parents and their snobbery. Theirs wasn't over the purity of someone's blood in the magical sense, rather the blueblood of your breeding. Their peerage, station, and international perception was all that mattered. Granted, both my parents are descended from royalty, but only one relative still has a real throne, and then it's more ceremonial than functional."

"I always did remember you being very proper, now you walk about in Muggle jeans and tee-shirts. What exactly is that on your shirt?" Cissy asked.

"We mostly wear Muggle clothes because they're more comfortable. Harry hates dress robes. He only wore them while we were in Vienna because he wanted to sit on the dais with Auntie. This is the symbol for a band Sirius likes called the Rolling Stones. I'm wearing his shirts now because my blouses don't always button up properly. I didn't realize how early my chest would change shape." If Cissy was surprised by Kitty's bluntness, she didn't show it.

"There's a lot that no one warns you about when you're pregnant," Cissy said. "I wish I had been able to speak with my sister while I was. She'd already had a child and…" she drifted off. It was only the second time she'd mentioned Andromeda.

"It's good I'm an avid reader, there's a particularly good Muggle book called _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ that I rely heavily on. Sirius and Remus are both reading it too." Cissy looked at her oddly. "I think Remus is concerned Sirius will pass out in the delivery room or do something ridiculous, so he's preparing to step in as my birthing partner in if needed."

"The three of you have an interesting relationship."

"We were all uncommonly close in school – the eight Gryffindors in our year – and as we were slowly killed off during the war, those who remained became even closer. Don't get me wrong, I was always closer with Sirius than I was with anyone else, even Jamie Potter. Sirius and I understood each other; being misfits in our own families made us close. I do miss having girlfriends, though. Lily and Marlene were killed, Betty died in a freaky car accident."

"Losses were heavy on both sides," Cissy said with some malice in her voice. "All of my roommates from Hogwarts are gone, as are my sisters."

"Just so you know, we see Dromy and Ted frequently. They missed our wedding because their daughter, Nymphadora, had the Scrofungulus and had been sent home from Hogwarts; it tore through the Hufflepuff dorms. We didn't need that being passed about. She's better now, and they'll be at dinner Sunday, and I think little Dora will be with them. Listen to me; she's thirteen and in her second year at Hogwarts, and I still call her 'little Dora.'" Cissy looked terrified at the news.

"I haven't spoken with Dromy since she left home," she explained softly. "My parents wanted us to believe she was dead."

"Our parents told us lots of things which aren't true, Cissy."

"How do you know what to believe and what to throw aside?"

"My only childhood friends were Sirius and Jamie Potter, and I suppose my nanny, but someone who is paid to be your playmate, doesn't really count. Though Jamie's parents were wildly against the pure-blood ideas, and they taught us these things, so I knew in my head I shouldn't treat people differently because of their blood, but I had no practical knowledge of it. I went to Hogwarts, and I was the only girl who came from entirely Magical parents. Betty and Marlene were from families with one Magical parent and one Muggle, Lily was Muggle-born. It was the first time I was ever faced with such a thing. I was told later in life that they all thought I was horribly prejudiced and stuck-up.

"I wrote to my mother, and she was absolutely no help. She reminded me that I was related to the Queen of England, and I should not besmirch the Fawley name with any of my actions. By the time Christmas came around, I had discovered Lily was probably the smartest girl in our whole class. It was a revelation, and I went to the Potters for holiday break with a horrible attitude. I was mad that Jamie and Sirius had all but abandoned me in favor of their roommates. I didn't like that a Muggle-born was better than me at nearly everything." Cissy nodded, seeming to understand what Kitty was feeling.

"The first night there, I cried into Fee's lap. I was so desperately unhappy, and I begged her to let me stay there and have her teach me. She flatly refused; instead, she chose to remind me that people are the same regardless of their birth status. She also told me blood was always red, and the heart pumped it through the body in the circulatory system regardless of someone else considering it blue or pure. She then challenged me to write to each of my roommates and send them a Christmas message in hopes that we could become friends in the new term. We all wrote back and forth while we were home. It worked; we became close not only with each other but with the boys too.

"If you're unsure, let your cousin and your sister guide you. What your parents taught you and how they raised you it deserves to end with our generation. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is quite different under Sirius' control. He cares for the few living family members who are left, but the money and, more importantly, the name is used for good. He's even sitting on the Wizengamot."

"It's so much to change," Cissy admitted. "I never thought I would jettison myself from my family."

"You're not jettisoning yourself; you're embracing the new House of Black. Take it one step at a time, and you'll be fine. Sirius and I will help too."

Just then, the two boys breezed into the room, their hair windblown and cheeks red, but they were happy and chatting. Draco had his broom, and Harry had the shoebox he kept his Chocolate Frog cards in. Harry went to hug Kitty and snuggled into her side. Draco was surprised by the action and went to his mother to mimic the action. Cissy responded, although a bit stiffly, and hugged her son. It caused her to think that maybe her cousin really was on to something in the way he was living.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 30:**

**Leave In Silence**

**May 12, 1986**

**7:32 a.m.**

Kitty was pacing the hall in St. Mungo's, desperately wanting to sit down but too nervous to do so. Harry was already in surgery to remove the Horcrux from behind his scar. Kingsley was leading a before dawn raid in Yugoslavia on the four Death Eater homes. Nearly every Auror in the department was there; she was here. She'd not slept the previous night, and while she was generally more tired now than before she was pregnant, worry was a powerful insomnia inducing drug. It was bothersome to Sirius, not that he'd slept well either. The couple met up with Remus at two in the morning when they were all in search of tea.

In a decision which might come back to haunt Kitty and Sirius, they'd not told Narcissa why they were at St. Mungo's that morning. If everything went well, Harry would be home in a few days, and then they could explain. Cissy only knew the surgery was related to the scar on Harry's forehead, nothing more. Rumple had charmed the library, Kitty's office, and a few other places in the house that shouldn't be explored – like the dungeon where the three ghosts lived – so that the doors couldn't be opened. Until she knew the Death Eaters and that 'baby' Voldemort was in custody and Harry was free of the Dark magic remnant, there were things she would hold close to her chest. It wasn't a coincidence that the two events were coinciding.

"Kitty, sit down," Sirius all but ordered her. "Your frenetic pacing isn't going to make Amelia come through the doors any faster, or Dr. Tinker finish any quicker."

"I can't sit down," Kitty said, worried about what was happening in other rooms that she couldn't be assisting with. "Pregnancy has made me more nervous than I've ever been in my life. Why the hell can't I be calm like I was taught as a child?"

"Because," Sirius said, standing to hold her, "we were told to be calm in situations we didn't care about. You care deeply about your co-workers and especially about our son." One arm curled her into his body, the other went to hold her belly. Remus smiled at the pair, thinking about how different they were from the rakish boy with the affable charm and inability to take life seriously and the girl who always held herself with regal grace and distance but never seemed to be fully present that he'd known in childhood. Somehow, he'd figured out that the two were different around each other than they were with others even as young students. Sirius had always been careful of Kitty's feelings since she so rarely showed them in those days. Kitty, in turn, could make Sirius settle in a way even James couldn't make him.

He wasn't jealous of Sirius and Kitty in the way he'd been of James when he settled down with Lily. Maybe it was because they were older, they'd lost so many people in their lives that embracing stability made more sense at twenty-six than it did at seventeen. Maybe it was the assurance that Kitty and Sirius wouldn't move on in life without him; Kitty had seen to that. When everyone else disappeared, Kitty had given him a purpose and home. The years she was away were lonely; he only saw other members from the Order occasionally. Most of his time was spent with Muggles and dealing with the needs of Fawley House. Now, Kitty employed twice the number of the staff, leaving little he had to do as the property manager. The tenants still paid their rents to him, he still signed off on what renovations needed to be made to buildings, and he knew what was happening with the 'mowing' sheep herd, but that was all. He didn't think he spent five hours a week on the job.

Kitty had resumed her pacing, and he thought it made her look a bit like he did before the full moon rose. That last hour was torturous. He felt his blood begin to boil in his veins, the wolf's heat taking over his human body. The Wolfsbane potion may have let him keep his mind and allowed him some measure of protection from truly harming himself, but it didn't stop the transformation completely. Indeed, it was easier to have Sirius with him again, even if they didn't roam the forests like they had as schoolmates. Knowing someone was there who cared, who would cover his shaking body just after the sun rose and ply him with the first does of potions to heal the wounds and bone-breaks his body underwent, reminded him he was human and loved. Somehow, Kitty's double worry brought out a creature in her that even love couldn't stop.

Sirius watched his wife with worry. She was right; she was something different than the composed little girl he remembered being in his life forever. Sirius had loved the girl who Fee and Monty Potter could coax out when it was just the five of them at Potter's. She was free with smiles and laughter and loved a good joke, but he also found the studious and proper girl he saw more frequently at Hogwarts enchanting. He'd never tell her, but he wanted to date her while they were at school, but she wouldn't go with any boy. From the day Monty Potter took the three of them – Kitty, James, and him – to the Ministry and the Auror department, Kitty knew what she wanted to be. One thing her father had instilled in her was the responsibility they had to those who weren't as well situated. From third year on, Kitty was focused on getting into the Magical Law Enforcement training program and then being selected for the Aurors. She was always a shoo-in for the International Aurors, or Spooks as everyone called them. She spoke too many languages, fluently, and could move among the rich and powerful with ease. Even though she was brilliant at Transfiguration, her name opened many of the doors she needed. No one expected a woman of such high birth to be working for the Ministry of Magic in the UK.

He never anticipated being married when he was younger. He really didn't see himself as the 'marriage' type; why would he? His parents' marriage was abysmal. Their fathers did it to consolidate wealth and hide it from the Ministry. Sirius never failed to smile when he thought about how that plan had worked for them. Now he was a father, soon to be twice over. He wouldn't ever forget that James should be the one raising his son, but James couldn't be here, and Sirius was the best substitute since he knew James as well as he knew himself. Harry was a wonderful child, seemingly unaffected by his time with the Dursley family, smart and thoughtful, and many things he wasn't at the same age. He wasn't sure how things would turn out with Draco living in the castle with them – there were too many flashes of Malfoy and the pure-blood nonsense he espoused in the boy – but he believed Harry was too smart to be taken in by the other child. He had to care for Cissy and Draco as head of the family, but he didn't have to share a house with them if it became an issue.

Kitty still paced her mind on so many people. She wanted to be in that room with her boy, Lily's boy, to make sure he had no doubts that he was loved. He wasn't aware of anything now, Dr. Tinker, Mae, had hit him with a powerful spell to knock him out and dull his senses. By the time he woke up, that thing would be out of Harry and hopefully destroyed, and Kitty would be at his side to hug and kiss him. She knew the other two were looking at her with worry, but she couldn't do anything other than what she was. Save the two of them, nearly everyone she cared about was in peril. Sure, the Weasleys weren't, nor were the Tonks, but they were family. The family wasn't something Kitty thought she'd have. There were distant relatives in multiple countries and an aging uncle. Still, a family of her own with family dinners and beautiful pictures drawn by a five-year-old and a baby growing inside of her wasn't what Auror Kitty Fawley thought her life would bring. Now, she was in St. Mungo's bowels, deep below the sun-dappled floors where Harry would recover, in a hallway no one came to, outside of a heavily warded room with protective runes covering every surface. It was closer to the rough-hewn place in Gringotts than a hospital. Kitty finally sat when the pounding in her head won out over her need to burn off energy. Sirius wrapped his arm around her and kissed her crown, while Remus smiled at her from across the hall. It was an odd family, but it was theirs, and it worked.

What felt like an eternity later – in reality, it had only been about forty minutes -the door to the operating suite opened, and he diminutive but sweet Fairblade came out, holding a glass jar covered in runes with something which appeared like a stone wrapped in blood and tissue. It was emitting a strange greenish-black oily smoke that bounced against the sides of the vessel.

"Brightsword wanted to know if you'd like to watch him destroy this?" Fairblade said in her gentle way. "If it were anything other than an intentional Horcrux, we would take it to the Goblin's research facility for study," she explained. "This is too dangerous, even for us to study."

"Is it safe for Kitty to be near the magic? I know when you removed my cursed tattoos, you didn't want her near me." Sirius asked, now standing with an arm across his wife's shoulders.

"It will be safe," Fairblade said. "Dr. Tinker is healing your son's wound and will send him to the pediatric floor before we begin, but otherwise, you will be safe."

"We'd like to watch," Kitty said. "By chance, would it be possible to find out if more of these things exist from that one? We believe the Dark wizard who made this created several." Neither Remus nor Sirius had thought to ask such a question, but Kitty had the mind of a researcher and an Auror.

"Why would…?" Fairblade asked without thinking. It wasn't a wrong question; their group of six had been wondering the same thing. Then again, this was Voldemort, and his mind was evil. "Let me converse with Brightsword. If anyone knows, he will. Come in and see Harry, he's still asleep, but as a mother myself, I know you want to assure your child is safe."

The trio followed her into the room and was pleased to see Harry looking as if he were sleeping. His color was a bit off; skin too pale, cheeks and lips to red, but otherwise, he looked like himself. His fringe was pushed away from his face, which he never liked, and there was a bandage soaked in Murtlap essence over the scar.

"Kitty, Sirius, Remus," Dr. Tinker said as she rounded Harry's cot to speak with them. "Everything went well, and he should come out of the sedation in three to four hours. The scar will completely heal now, and in a few weeks, there will only be the faintest mark on his forehead, and only visible if the light hits it correctly. As we discussed, he will stay here for a few days to make sure his brain hasn't sustained any injury. I don't anticipate any complications. Brightsword is extraordinarily talented; it was a pleasure to work with him."

"Thank you, Mae," Kitty said, hugging the Healer. Mae hugged her back.

"While we can be more informal now than when we're on the floor, it would be best if we used my title and your surnames," the Healer said with a smile. "So, I won't be able to do this, either." She said before giving Remus a kiss on the cheek. He returned the act, and it made her smile. Kitty and Sirius shared a look; Remus generally didn't let women get too close; this was good.

"We understand. Can I kiss Harry before you take him?" Kitty asked.

"Of course, I have a bit of charting to do before we go up anyway," Mae explained.

The three went to Harry's bed, and Kitty immediately kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. Sirius only heard the word 'loved' over and over, which he thought was terrific. He doubted either he or his wife had heard they were loved whispered in their ears at six. With another kiss of his cheek, Kitty stepped back to let Remus say whatever he wanted to his favorite nephew. Harry held the title until Kitty and Sirius had another son, which might be soon or not-soon; they'd opted not to find out about the baby she was carrying. Sirius and Remus told Harry they were proud of him and that they'd see him when he woke up. Sirius then kissed his boy on the cheek.

"You don't need to be brave when you wake up, because I will be there to be brave for us. You just keep healing, son." Both Kitty and Remus were surprised by the emotion Sirius was showing outside of their home's privacy.

Harry was wheeled out, and the medi-witches and trainee healer left with him. Mae remained.

"Aren't you going with Harry?" Remus asked.

"Yes, but I'm not missing the destruction of that thing," Mae said, pointing at the jar. "I'll never get an opportunity like this again."

With the room mostly cleared, Brightsword brought the vessel to the operating cot and set it down. He then cast a shield charm that would put most Aurors to shame, impressing Kitty deeply. Mae moved to stand next between Remus and Kitty. The three friends had their wands out, prepared to defend themselves if necessary. Voldemort wasn't anyone to take lightly, even if it was only a fragment of his soul. Brightsword was surprised by this action.

"You believe there are more?" Brightsword asked.

"Knowing what we do of Voldemort," Kitty said in what her husband tagged her Auror voice, "it's doubtful he only made one and a human being. We don't know for sure, of course, but I would suspect there is at least one more – three being an important magical number. Contemplating more is…" she shook in fear.

"The bit from the child, another bit and the remainder in your Dark Lord," Brightsword said in understanding.

"He's not our Dark Lord," Sirius said under his breath, and Kitty elbowed him in his ribs. Now wasn't the time for the irrepressible fifteen-year-old he'd been to rear his head again.

"Understood," Brightsword said with what might have passed as a chuckle for a goblin. Fairblade brought Brightsword some thick gloves which looked like they'd been made from something other than dragon hide. She then handed him a small pot of glimmering liquid.

"Do you need to write things down?" Mae suddenly asked.

"No, but thank you," Kitty replied. "Our memories in my professional pensive will allow us to view the memories and print photographs of the salient items and ideas."

"I didn't know it was something you could do," the other woman remarked.

"We haven't shared the ability yet," Kitty said. "Gives us an advantage."

Brightsword poured the liquid onto the glass jar, and it slid through the lid quite easily. The oily gas tried to escape it, but soon it coated the walls in an iridescent shimmer and pooled at the bottom. The rock-like object shook until it broke open, and the volume of the green-black substance increased ten-fold. The jar held. There was an explosion of violently bright green light, much like the color of the _Avada Kedavra_ itself, and six other items appeared in the air around it.

A regular looking leather-bound book. A chunky ring with a dark stone, an equally ugly necklace that appeared to have been made to coordinate with the ring. Another a diadem, which Kitty thought she had something similar to at home. Finally, a two-handled cup with a crest on it. They knew of the strange infant that had been housed in a Death Eater home in Yugoslavia. Kitty silently begged the god and goddess that the thing was in Auror custody. Mae shrieked at the sight of the child-like creature. Remus put his arm around her.

"Seven," Remus said absentmindedly. "Perfection. He made seven of them."

"Perfection," whispered Kitty in disgust. "He broke his soul apart six times to reach the myth of seven." She thought she might be sick at the mere notion. "He intentionally murdered…" she drifted off.

"We can discuss the numerological and moral implications and whether Harry was intended or not at another time. Go ahead, destroy it," Sirius said, seeming to be the only one who wasn't enticed or frightened of the Dark magic. Of course, he'd lived with it for a good portion of his life.

Brightsword pulled a bag from his belt and carefully placed the glass vessel inside. He tied it shut and then pulled a long dagger from his belt and plunged it into the bag, the jar, the oily gas, and finally into the stone. A horrible howl was heard, and a rush of hot air blew outward.

Then there was silence.

Brightsword opened the bag, and the jar was shattered. The stone was gone. Kitty clung to Sirius, relieved their child would no longer be tormented.

Hours later, Kitty and Sirius were sitting in Harry's room. He'd been quiet since they arrived only fifteen minutes after he did, but he had begun to move in the last half-hour. They knew this meant he was coming out of the sedation. They were under strict orders to call the medi-witches as soon as he opened his eyes.

Kitty was watching Harry closely, so she would be the first thing he saw when he awoke. Relief washed through her when his green eyes peered into hers, and he whispered, "Mum?"

"It's me, Luv. Your dad is here too," Kitty answered. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache."

"I don't doubt it," she said with a soft smile. "We can get the medi-witch to come and look you over, and then I'm sure they can give you something. Other than your headache, how do you feel?"

Harry was quiet for a moment, looking so much older than his five and three-quarters. "My head is quiet," he said with wonder. "The other voice, the mean one, it's gone, Mum."

"Thank Merlin it is," Kitty said with tears coming to wet her lashes. She kissed her son's head and then let the medi-witch slip by to assess Harry. Sirius hugged her tightly. "It worked," she whispered.

"It worked," Sirius said. "He's free of that monster."

Their embrace was broken when Amelia came into the room. "Everything okay?"

"Better than okay," Kitty said, coming to her friend's side, Sirius just behind her. "Did everything go as planned this morning?

"Better than you could believe. We got them, that thing, and a whole lot of those jewels and potions ingredients you were searching for, and Kingsley has a great story for you about Lucius Malfoy. It would appear your cousin got out just in time," she said to Sirius, and he wanted to know more, but they weren't alone, so it wasn't the time to discuss it.

"That's something to be grateful for," Sirius said.

"You don't need to be an Auror right now," Amelia said to Kitty. "We can discuss this and whatever you might have discovered when he's home."

"No, I'll come to the office tomorrow when both Sirius and Remus can be here." Amelia looked for Remus and realized he wasn't there. Recognizing the confusion in her face, Kitty answered her unspoken question. "He went home to Floo the Weasleys and Tonks' and tell Cissy that Harry made it through the surgery. Meil," Kitty said looking at her boss, "we can't wait because you could have brought another of those bits back with you. There are five more, besides the creature itself. We must find them and get rid of them soon. I want that monster dead."


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: This is the longest chapter yet, lots of drama. The truth about Cissy and Draco comes to light. Thanks for reading and love to hear what people think, MNF**

**Chapter 31:**

**Dangerous**

Harry was in St. Mungo's for the requisite two days before returning home to find many presents and well wishes from his 'school' friends and friends of his parents. Dromy had knit him a new blanket, and Tonks had sent him a joke book from Zonko's, so she warned him to be careful; answering wrong might make something unwanted happen. Professor McGonagall sent him a Gryffindor shirt that fit him quite well, and there were treats from Amelia and Kingsley, which came straight from Honeydukes. Mrs. Weasley had made him a delicious looking chocolate cake along with homemade cards from Ginny and Ron. The Longbottom's sent a book about the fish in the pond where Harry had gone with Neville and Uncle Algie. Cheery had outdone them by making Harry the 'best-looking treacle tart that there ever was.' While he wasn't required to stay in bed, Harry wasn't supposed to run around either. Sirius had moved Kitty's rocker into Harry's room, so she was comfortable while ensuring her son didn't do anything too rambunctious. She had every intention of knitting for the baby while she sat there.

After the excitement of coming home, Kitty insisted he rest on his bed. Sirius sat on the floor and regaled Harry with tales of his parents and some of the worst pranks the Marauders ever engaged in. Harry was quiet, all but for his laughter.

"Can we come in?" Cissy asked, lightly knocking on the door frame.

"Sure," Harry said with a smile. "Join the party!"

"This isn't a party, young man, this is recovery from serious surgery," Kitty admonished.

Harry rolled his eyes and gave an annoyed "Mu-um!"

"Where do children learn to do that?" Kitty asked Cissy. "Is it ingrained from birth or something equally strange?"

"I'm not sure, but my cousin here was an expert at making faces at his mother when she asked him to do just about anything," she answered, looking at Sirius.

"I did not," he said with mock indignation. "I was more than happy to brush my teeth."

"Yes, but you weren't so keen on taking baths, I seem to remember. The house-elf, Bouldy –"

"Badly, no one called him Bouldy back then; we all called him Badly because he badly did every task mother set him on," Sirius interrupted.

"He did things 'badly,' as you put it because you and Reggie were such pains as little boys!" She ended her statement with a bit of a mocking glare. "As I was saying, Bouldy would need to chase down both Sirius and Reggie and then use a Sticking Charm of some sort to keep them in their baths. Honestly, he has the best hair in the family; even when we were little, his locks were luscious, and he'd let them get caked with mud, slime, food…he was so gross."

"You think I have luscious locks?" Sirius asked, and Cissy rolled her eyes at him while Harry chirped in with a "Da-ad!" Sirius didn't hide his grin at being called Dad. Kitty never would have suspected Cissy Malfoy was capable of rolling her eyes.

"Brought you some more Chocolate Frogs," Draco said. "Well, Mum got them, and she left me home with Dobby. You have lots of locked doors here." Draco promptly went and sat on Harry's bed, shoving the gift bag at Harry. Harry reached into the compartment on his bed and pulled out the shoebox with his card collection.

"Tried to do a little snooping while we were all gone, huh?" Kitty said with a smile. "Some of the rooms are locked because I have work-related papers and books inside, like the magical library and my office. Some rooms are locked because there are dangerous things inside, like the dungeons. After all, we have three very mean ghosts down there. They've been here for four centuries, and they're still angry they're dead. Lastly, the ground floor doors and the lift are locked today because this house is open to people – Muggles and Wizards – to tour and learn about its history. The land this house is on was gifted to my family in the fifteen-forties by the king, and because the same family has held it that long, it's an important place of history. Kings and queens have slept here. One princess on her way to marry a prince slept here until the day of her wedding. There's a room where Nicolas Flamel drew on the walls while he was working out how to make the Philosopher's Stone. Lots and lots of history here."

"Wow," Draco said. "Can I see some of it?"

"On a day we don't have tourists, you can see it all."

"Can I come too?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely, but you have to be healthy. We're also going to go to the cottage once you're well, alright?" Kitty asked.

"Are Draco and Mrs. Cissy coming too?" Harry asked.

"If they want to, yes. They may choose somewhere else, too. Remember your dad has that nice house on the Isle they might like to visit or their ancestral family home, or they can stay here," Kitty listed the possibilities. "You're welcome to come to our cottage in the Cotswolds. It's a very cozy house, and we are very relaxed there. It's small too, only six bedrooms. We leave because the children on school tours can be a bit much, sometimes." Cissy looked perplexed.

"Why don't we go talk in the other room, let the boys play with their Chocolate Frogs without us supervising them? Rumple?" The elf appeared and then went into Harry's room and Disillusioned himself after telling Harry he was there. The boys weren't going to be completely unsupervised.

Across the hall from the bedrooms was the sitting room with the 'small table' at which the three adults and Harry used for dining when he first came home. Now that he was out of his booster chair and the household had grown to six, they ate in the dining room down the hall. Everyone was situated, and Cheery was called for tea. It might have been only half-two, but Kitty needed tea. The bed St. Mungo's had provided for her to stay overnight with Harry wasn't comfortable; she'd not rested well in more than three days. Then she remembered she was only going to be given herbal tea.

"You look like someone killed your pet, Kitty," Sirius said.

"Nothing that drastic, but I'm not going to be given real tea, am I?"

"No, you need to drink the herbal blend," he said softly as he came to sit on her chair's arm. "No caffeine for you and baby Fawley-Black." Kitty sighed dramatically as Cheery came in, prepared each person's tea to their liking, and then handed them the cups. Cheery didn't even add any honey or sugar. There was no plate of goodies either.

"Believe me, you're going about this better than I did," Cissy said softly. "I ate everything in sight. I looked like a whale when Draco was born. Thankfully, I could magic it all off, but…you're much smarter." Cissy took a sip of her tea and then looked at her cousin, still sitting on the arm of the most comfortable chair in the room, his arm around his wife. She missed when her husband had been attentive.

"You really open your house to Muggle children?" Cissy asked, looking aghast.

"We do," Kitty replied. "We have since the nineteen-fifties. Because the land was stolen from a monastery and then given to my family by King Henry VIII and because it has been held by my family since then, it is an important historical house. The house has never fallen into disarray, like so many of the other houses of the era, and it was never given up for financial reasons, makes it even more interesting. While I never spent much time here as a child, I knew people toured. The Muggles just don't know it's magic which has kept the floors from rotting through and the roof from caving in. They think it's the immense wealth our family has. Truthfully, if my family weren't magical, the house would have fallen or been sold to a school or hospital generations ago."

"You really don't mind the Muggles?" she asked Sirius.

"No," he said firmly. "Muggles are more like us than you know, and they have magic of their own too. Remus has explained it to me, but I do not understand how airplanes stay up without being charmed. Their pictures of the stars, taken with the telescopes they have, are far superior to our drawings." Cissy was silent for a few minutes, and Kitty and Sirius didn't feel the need to rush her. Kitty thought it was a bit like when the world changed from black and white to color in the movie "The Wizard of Oz," she had seen while in New Zealand. Cissy's world wasn't just black and white anymore. Kitty and Sirius whispered softly about the things couples usually talked about, like who would send the post out and articles from the _Daily Prophet._

"Do you trust me enough to tell me what surgery Harry had?" Cissy finally asked.

Sirius looked to Kitty, who nodded her head slightly. He sat down in the chair next to her, put his teacup on the small table next to him, and withdrew his wand. Casting privacy charms around them, he looked at her.

"Did you know Voldemort was making Horcruxes?" Cissy's face showed shock and then disgust.

"That's what was in Harry?" Sirius and Kitty nodded. "How long have you known?" Cissy asked.

"Known, a few weeks, but we suspected something was connecting the two of them for a long while now," he confessed.

"Is that why you didn't tell me exactly what was happening?" Cissy asked with a face open and honest. "I don't blame you. My insertion in your life must have complicated things."

"It was unpredicted," Sirius confessed, "but I never thought about abandoning you at the court. I always would have taken care of you, although I might not have invited you into my house. My wife is more trusting than I would have been." He ran his hands through his hair in discomfort.

"You had no reason to trust me. I suspect if this house wasn't so old, so soaked in magic, you might not have asked me here either?" Cissy directed the question to Kitty.

"I knew the house wouldn't allow you to enter, much less raise a wand at any of us. The blood vows on this place are archaic, strong, and impenetrable. My family hasn't held onto their lands and their titles without knowing how to protect itself."

"I find it funny that our parents and grandparents made such a fuss regarding our heritage, and here Kitty's is much deeper and wholly more substantial. Your mother would have loved having you marry a real princess," Cissy said offhandedly.

"Yes, but then I couldn't have married her because I strove never to make her happy," Sirius replied darkly. He didn't want to discuss his mother. "Do you know anything about Voldemort's Horcruxes?"

"You say his name with such ease," his cousin said under her breath. "I'm not surprised he made them, but as to when and how, I'm unaware. I only know the basics of such things, like you do. Do you have any idea what the objects might be?"

"We do," Kitty said. "I don't need to remind you that what we're talking about can't be discussed with anyone, save the other three adults that live here." Cissy nodded. Kitty added her own layer of protection. This one bristled at Cissy's skin, reminding her that the house was loyal to those of its bloodline, and she wasn't.

"What you don't know, because the Auror department has kept it quiet, is that at the same time Harry was being operated on, a raid was conducted on the four houses in Yugoslavia. We have the Averys, the Mulcibers, and your husband and father-in-law in custody. Your mother-in-law is under house arrest at Malfoy Manor as we speak. We also have that bit of Voldemort, the child-like creature, in custody. The child is in the bowels of the Ministry, inside the Department of Mysteries. The others are awaiting trial for the crimes they've committed while under surveillance and outstanding crimes from the war."

"Lucius is going to Azkaban; what am I going to tell Draco?"

"Yes, Lucius will be tried and found guilty of a list of crimes as long as my arm," Kitty replied.

"As for telling Draco, I think we can be of assistance. Why not wait until the news breaks publicly? It will give you a bit longer to consider what to tell him." Sirius suggested, and his cousin sadly agreed. "I'll be with you when you talk with him."

"Draco's father allowed his only childhood friend to be murdered," Cissy said softly with tears on her cheeks. "I think the truth is really the only thing I can tell him."

"I know this is hard, but we need to find the other items Voldemort turned into Horcruxes," Sirius said softly. "We can't kill that thing he's become without doing it first. Did Lucius ever tell you –"

"I wasn't in the inner circle," she confessed. "Bella was, but I had no stomach for killing and torture. My job was to bear and raise perfect pureblood children," she said with sarcasm dripping from every word.

"From what I've seen of Draco, you raised a pleasant child who has taken to having a new friend quite well," Kitty said softly, hoping to ease some of Cissy's torment. "If I showed you some photographs of the items, would it help?"

"You have photographs?"

"Yes, we used the thing we took from Harry, and the goblin could find all the bits of soul it was connected to. I used my memories to provide us with stills of the objects," Kitty explained. She waved her wand several times, and then cast a Patronus towards Remus' house. A thick, leather portfolio flew into the room and deposited itself in Kitty's lap. She laid her wand on it, and the clasp opened. Kitty withdrew an envelope and took out the pictures. She laid the five photos on the coffee table.

Cissy lifted the picture of the book Sirius lifted the one of the locket. He stared at the picture intently. Kitty noticed it immediately.

"Sirius?" she asked.

"I know where this one is," he said slowly. "It's in a crate of dark items I took to the Black family vault when I cleaned out the house. I wanted to look at them more before they went to the Department of Mysteries."

"This one, this simple leather book, it's in the vault at Malfoy Manor. It's locked in Lucius' safe in our bedroom. He said it was a special diary."

Kitty looked at them, then between them; stunned for only a moment. It wasn't supposed to be this easy. Then her brain snapped back; she wasn't going to complain about its ease. She Summoned parchment and her Biro and quickly wrote out just a few words and time. She then duplicated the note. She whispered to Cheery, who appeared on cue.

"You know who these go to, take them now and tell them it's urgent." The elf was gone with a crack. "We're meeting tonight," she told Sirius and Remus, who only just came into the room. "We could have two of them in our hands before dinner."

"Well, okay then," Remus answered, surprised at the turn of events, as he'd only been at his office for an hour.

Sirius was in and out of the bank quickly, the transaction only taking the few minutes of his cart ride down to the lowest level and back up. While in the vault, he saw something that Cissy might appreciate and brought it with him. Why anyone thought to save their childhood playthings was beyond him, especially since he and Reg broke nearly every toy they'd ever had. He returned home, put the surprise for his cousin and the ugly locket into the safe in Kitty's office, and then searched for his cousin to escort her to her former home.

Taking Narcissa to Malfoy Manor had been more challenging than the bank, but it was expected. First, there were the Auror guards who Sirius needed to convince that he and Cissy were there to retrieve only personal items of hers and Draco's. Had he not been married to Kitty and had their supervisor not been Kingsley, he might not have been able to talk his way into the house with his cousin in tow.

Once inside, they met Effie Malfoy, Narcissa's mother-in-law. Cissy had never liked the woman. Standing at mere four-foot-ten inches, and weight of only seven stone, Effie looked like a woman a stiff breeze could blow over. You'd be mistaken to under-estimate her. Her hair, the white-blonde that her son and grandson both sported, and her hazel eyes held no warmth. Instead, they blazed with the intensity and power of a roaring inferno. They were even a strange yellow which wasn't far off from a bright flame. Her hexes were notorious, even among the Death Eaters. Severus Snape studied with her while becoming a potioneer; she was that talented. She was also a cold, conniving, and generally an unpleasant person to be around. Sirius remembered her from horrible functions as a child.

"What are you doing here?" Effie snipped like a small dog thinking it could do battle with one ten times its size.

"I've just come to retrieve some things for Draco and me," Cissy said quietly.

"Those things were bought with Malfoy money," Effie barked. "You have no right to them since you walked out."

"I left because Lucius was going to let that thing murder Draco!"

"Death Eaters give all to the cause, even our lives."

"My cousin is not a Death Eater, and neither is her son. They left because your husband and son beat them within an inch of their lives," Sirius shouted, coming to tower over the annoying woman.

"Why do you have the blood-traitor with you?" she spat.

"I am the Head of the House of Black, and seeing as Cissy is under my protection now, I am here to provide her such." Effie charged at Cissy, but the younger woman was too quick and had her wand out and had Stunned her mother-in-law before either she or Sirius came to any harm.

"You're quite good at that," Sirius said as he bound her with his wand's conjured ropes. He always enjoyed _Brachiabindo_ at school, especially when he just left the person tied up and helpless in the corridor. He didn't want to think about what that said about him as a person. He passed the now statue-like and trussed-up Effie. "How did you do at dueling when you were in school?"

"Fair, but I went to school with quite a few future Death Eaters who had been taught dueling from the time they were old enough to hold their father's wand. Come on, we might need to blow up the safe to get into it."

The pair Apparated to the second floor, where the family bedrooms were, and went into a fair-sized room, although far smaller than the master bedroom at either Kitty's apartment or Grimmauld Place. Sirius didn't ask about it, but he assumed Abraxas and Effie kept the largest space.

The safe was inside the Lucius' wardrobe that contained only black robes. Black dress robes, informal black robes, and black everyday robes; they were expertly tailored and made of exquisite cloth, but they were only black. Sirius thanked his lucky stars he, his wife, and their son preferred Muggle clothes. So many more colors and fabric choices and band tees to wear.

Cissy pushed the noir outfits aside to reveal the safe in the wall. First, she tried her wand, but nothing happened. Then she tried her hand, but again nothing happened.

"_Revelio_," she whispered, her wand pointed at the safe, and a dial appeared.

"A tumbler lock?" Sirius said in surprise.

"Lucius didn't trust his father, and Abraxas wouldn't have ever touched such a thing," Cissy said. "Anything not requiring magic was, is, unseemly to him."

"Do you know how to use one of these?" Sirius asked.

"Not a clue."

"Allow me," he said. "If we can't figure out the code, I should be able to pick it. Some say I have canine-like hearing." She had no idea he was an Animagus and wouldn't share that secret if he didn't need to. Even Dromy didn't know, and he had always liked that cousin. Still, he couldn't help making the joke his cousin wouldn't get.

They began with Lucius' birthday, then Draco's, then Narcissa's, then their wedding anniversary. None of them worked, but then Cissy had an idea.

"Try seven-seven-seven-zero," she said softly, and as Sirius turned the tumblers, he felt the lock click.

"What date was that?"

"The date the Dark Lord sent the first of his Death Eaters out to kill Muggles. Our fathers were two of them. Mine said it was the highlight of his life. Not marrying mother, not having any of his daughters be born, not even something like winning the House Cup at Hogwarts," Cissy said. Her eyes were focused on that day in the past, her voice almost dreamy sounding. "No, it was a day he was encouraged to murder. I remember it so clearly. They came home exhilarated because seven Muggles had died that day. Daddy cast the _Morsmordre_, the first time anyone had seen it. No one outside of the Dark Lord's circle knew what it meant." Sirius stared at his cousin for a long moment before pulling on the handle and opening the safe. There, inside the small vault was the leather-bound volume Sirius was searching for.

Before he could pull his wand and cast spells to check for curses, hexes, or jinxes, Cissy reached in and grabbed the small book.

She screamed as soon as her hand touched the book. Her skin felt like it was burning, and then it started peeling away from the flesh underneath.

"Shite," Sirius said as he began throwing every counter-curse, he could think of at the book. This wasn't an ordinary _Flagrante_. It was more potent, and the burns worse than he remembered. "Drop the book, Cissy."

"I can't," she said, still screaming and panting in pain. "Help me, Siri."

Desperate to assist his cousin, he grabbed one of Lucius' black outer robes, tore off a strip, and wrapped his non-wand hand in it. He then physically wrenched the book out of Cissy's hand. He didn't want to think about the flesh from her palm that came with it, but her blood-curdling scream told him it had. He then began plying his cousin's hand with every healing spell he knew before conjuring some gauze and wrapping her hand in it. Lucius had several fine leather satchels hanging on the wall, and Sirius grabbed one and stuffed the book inside. He threw it over his shoulder and then picked up Cissy and Disapparated to the grounds outside.

"Her hand is covered in curse burns," Sirius yelled. "She needs to go to St. Mungo's now!" The closest Auror pulled something from around his neck and put it around Sirius'.

"Emergency Portkey to A & E," she said. "Going off in five-four-three-two-one."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 32:**

**Stripped**

**June 14, 1986**

It had been five, nearly six weeks since Narcissa Malfoy's horrible accident with the leather-bound book found in her husband's vault. Her hand had suffered horrific wounds, losing not only the skin but also the flesh in some areas. The Healers had done remarkable things, saving the bones in the worst of the places and kept the burns isolated to her hand and wrist. Blessedly, it was not her dominant hand, so she didn't need to re-learn her spell casting. Three weeks at the rehabilitation part of St. Mungo's had given her some use of her hand back, but her left hand was permanently damaged.

It had been awful for Draco those first days after his mother's injuries. Living in a house he didn't know with one parent in the hospital and the other arrested, he lashed out. Kitty and Sirius were patient with him, as was Harry. When he didn't want to talk with his cousin any longer, Sirius invited Draco's Auntie Dromy over, and she was able to reach the frightened boy and calm him. The two had become close; she took Draco to visit Narcissa when it was safe to do so. She was also with him when the news broke about his father being in jail.

It was unfortunate that Draco's birthday also happened while Narcissa was away, but Kitty and Sirius did what they could for their young houseguest. His young classmates brought him gifts for a subdued party, and he was kind in receiving them. He became quite fond of the homemade socks Mrs. Weasley had made in a deep blue. He called them his house socks because he disliked shoes immensely. Neville brought him a book about his favorite Quidditch team, the Ballycastle Bats. No one else knew this was his team. Harry insisted that Draco needed his own box to keep his new collection of Chocolate Frog cards in, so he and Kitty had gone to a magical home goods store to find a nice wooden box which was intended for tarot cards, but it would work for a boy's collection of cards too.

The Tonks Family bought Draco piles of books, including Muggle crosswords, since he enjoyed doing the one in the _Daily Prophet_ with his mother while he sat with her and his Auntie Dromy. Sirius went to Grimmauld Place and found a few more things that belonged to his brother, Reg, including a small Slytherin sweater, which was only slightly too large on Draco. There was also a ridiculous stuffed sphynx that would spout riddles if you stroked it's back. Dobby had made him a delicious lemon cake. For a birthday without his mum, it wasn't too bad. As a special treat, Kitty and Sirius took the boys to a unicorn preserve where they could feed the gentle creatures.

Today, however, Cissy was returning to the Fawley-Black family home. Draco was so excited that he could barely sit still, and more than once, Remus was grateful it wasn't a visiting day downstairs. When Cissy was with Dromy and Siri, she found it easy to leave the bigoted ideas she had shared with her parents and husband behind. It didn't pass her notice that they were all in jail or far away now.

The one person who wasn't there was Kitty. She hadn't said why she needed to be in the office today, but Sirius had a grin that resembled the cat who got into the cream when asked. Remus couldn't wait until she returned home that night so the three could have a private conversation. The fireplace in the living room roared to life, and Draco nearly knocked his mother over when she stepped through. Thankfully, Sirius was behind her to keep her upright.

Meanwhile, at the Ministry, Kitty and Kingsley were in Amelia Bones new office. There were stacks of invoices for potion ingredients that had been found in the Malfoy home in Ohrid. Kingsley had appreciated how Effie Malfoy never threw anything out. Instead, the invoices were kept in meticulous order by date, as were potions she was hired to create in a large ledger folio. What surprised them was the name on many of them. The one for one phial of distilled liquid of poisonous hemlock was especially interesting.

There was also a wall of small pots containing memories, each labeled carefully with the date, time, and location the conversations took place. Knowing her husband and son were never going to come home again (she expected they'd receive the Dementor's Kiss), she'd turned evidence for the Ministry, even against her own husband. After speaking with her, Kitty and Kingsley decided that might have been why she kept her records so meticulously. She knew how to save herself and live in the hope of having a relationship with her grandson.

The creature who was Voldemort was many, many levels below them. It had been silent since it was brought in. Unable to eat regular food, a Healer had begun spelling a thin, gruel-like substance into its digestive system.

The pair who were being ushered into Amelia's office could be heard a long way down the corridor. Rufus Scrimgeour had gone with Gawain Robards and Teresa Williamson to collect the pair of suspects. No one remarked how the Minister for Magic looked absolutely gleeful about the task. As they grew closer, the tell-tale squeak of one person's shoes made Kitty smile.

"Madame Bones," Cornelius Fudge said when he was brought into the office. "I'm quite sure I don't know what has caused these Aurors to act this way. Minister Scrimgeour said nothing as we walked here." He was attempting to look calm and collected, but the sweat was dripping down his face. Next to him stood his toady assistant, Delores Umbridge, nearly the same color as her neon pink robes. There is the blush of a classic English complexion, and then there was her whole face bloom.

"Well, perhaps we can clear all this up, then," Amelia said with her usual kindness. "Please have a seat, Minister. You're welcome to sit too." The latter comment was directed at the suspects' pair required to the two hard chairs in front of her.

"Why, thank you, Madame Bones," Scrimgeour said as he down in front of the now-closed door in an exceptionally plush wing back chair. The two other Aurors had stationed themselves in the corridor.

"Why could you possibly need four Aurors?" Umbridge snipped. The silly neon plaid bow that was plastered in her unnaturally dull brown hair looked like it was intended for a girl of four, not a grown woman.

"Actually, there are five, Ms. Umbridge," Minister Scrimgeour said in an overly polite manner, which caused Kitty to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"We have a series of invoices which we need your expert opinion, Mr. Fudge," Kingsley began. "These were obtained during a raid recently. We need to build a case against the persons involved."

"Well, it's about time someone recognized your worth, Cornelius," Umbridge said in her simpering tone.

"Quite," Amelia said with no inflection whatsoever.

"This first one here is for some potion ingredients which appear to have moved from the Ministry Apothecary to a private citizen," Kingsley said. "While that is not uncommon – people come to our apothecary for difficult to obtain items or because there is a cost-saving involved – this particular citizen has purchased more than what would usually be considered normal." Kingsley produced the first invoice, the pink duplicate of a Ministry associated purchase.

"Can you read the name at the bottom on the line marked purchaser, please?" he asked as he passed it to Fudge. The former Hit Wizard appeared to blanche at the name. "Would you read it aloud, please?"

"Delores Umbridge," Fudge said softly.

"And the line below, the memo notification," King prompted.

"At the order of Cornelius Fudge, Hit Wizard Corps."

"Now, we know there are many reasons you could have requested this volume of Boomslang Skin, namely Polyjuice Potion."

"Although, there was a law passed in eighty-two stating that members of the DMLE were to use the department potioneers to create standard potions so that we had fewer errors in creation," Amelia added. "Polyjuice falls into that category."

"True, true," Scrimgeour added.

"Well, Cornelius is an excellent potioneer himself," Delores added. "He wanted his Hit Wizards to have the best."

"Didn't you do poorly in Potions when we were at Hogwarts?" Amelia asked before indicating Kingsley should move on. Kitty remained oddly quiet. Fudge looked a bit green now.

"We have further receipts here, for more shall we say, questionable potion ingredients," Kingsley said. "See, we are certain potion ingredients can only be sold in single-use quantities. Some rare and exceedingly expensive items were sold to the same person and in excessive amounts: Chizpurfle Carapace, Dragon Claws, Lethe River Water, Moonseed, and Pritcher's Porrich. Most are used medicinally, either in poisons or in their antidotes. Lethe River Water is key in making a memory potion, and the last is for the dangerous "Potion of All Potential." Who signed these?"

"I did; they were all things Cornelius needed," Umbridge said.

"Was it really Cornelius who needed them, Madame Umbridge?" Amelia asked with venom in her voice.

"Of course," she answered with a snip. "Who else would need them?"

"Effie Malfoy," Amelia answered, "and we have the proof."

"I would never do such a thing," Cornelius said. "Whatever my assistant might have done in my name was not for me!" For her part, Umbridge stayed quiet but was obviously furious. A vein in her forehead had begun to pop out, a deep purple line against her face's deepening red.

"Please don't lie to me, Cornelius," Amelia stated. "Effie Malfoy kept meticulous records about how she obtained her potion ingredients and then, in turn, what potions she made. Her physical record is not only complete, but she kept memories of each of her meetings with you, Delores. Would you like to see?" Amelia lifted a thick ledger and, turning it, placed it on the edge of her desk. "I would love to hear why you asked her for seven phials of Memory Potion?"

"The Hit Wizards often –"

"No, they don't," Kingsley said. "Members of all the DMLE law enforcement teams are told to use the _Confundus Charm_ instead, as it is much longer acting and better at re-writing memories. Memory Potions are only used when you want someone to forget for a brief while. So again, why did you need seven phials of Memory Potion?" Umbridge stayed quiet.

"Millicent Clearwater, the receptionist in the apothecary, has been having memory problems," Rufus Scrimgeour said. "She was taken to St. Mungo's from work last week since she couldn't remember what day it was. The Healers were shocked to find traces of Lethe River Water in her system. The Mind Healer discovered the dates where her gaps occurred coincided with the dates on those invoices. We also have your requests for international Portkeys, and the dates match. I take it Effie Malfoy likes meeting in Greece more than say, Paris or Milan, or was that your choice."

"Well, I needed to travel to assist –" Umbridge stammered.

"No, once Cornelius was moved to the DMLE patrols office, there was never a reason for international travel," Amelia said. "You met her in Greece. You met her in front of the Parthenon."

"I had no idea what she was doing!" Fudge yelled. "I never asked her to change anyone's memories or meet with Madame Malfoy!"

"That's not true, is it, Cornelius," Kitty said. "Not quite nine months ago, you met with her, too. Although you chose Paris." Amelia directed her Pensive onto her desk and poured a memory into it. With three taps, Cornelius Fudge's face appeared, as seen through Effie Malfoy's eyes.

"_People don't usually ask for a concentration quite this high," Effie said, reluctant to hand the phial over. "A few drops of this in your drink will kill you quickly."_

"_I don't need it to be ingested," he said. "I need to coat a ring with it."_

"_Infection through the skin can be difficult," she replied. "Death will be slow, painful. Your mind will know what is happening, but you will be unable to move anything or speak. Why would you do that to yourself?"_

"_This isn't for me," he bit. "It's for someone who has ruined my life."_

"_Who?" Effie asked, hoping it wasn't her son._

"_Princess Kitty Fawley. Her father thwarted my career, and then she went and convinced the world Sirius Black wasn't a Death Eater and that he didn't kill his friends or those Muggles. Her death will remind Wallace Fawley he shouldn't have written me off."_

_"Sirius Black was never a Death Eater. Peter Pettigrew was a hanger-on, but the Dark Lord doesn't trust him. There are plans to murder him in Azkaban. Can't have a fear of him talking…"_

"_I don't care about Pettigrew; I just want the Fawley Princess gone."_

"_One word of advice from someone who has observed Wizarding society; few families have the clout the Fawleys have. While the girl's death means nothing to me, you will bring wrath you can't imagine down on your head. There will not be a safe place for you anywhere in Europe, she's too well connected."_

"_No one will know it's me."_

"_Assure they don't."_

The memory dissolved, and Amelia used her wand to pull the memory from the Pensive.

"That conversation happened just about nine months ago. Right before I was poisoned, this ring was poisoned. Did you always have it?" Kitty asked her tone even and flat.

"I should have sold it. Black wouldn't have known, he was in Azkaban."

"But you didn't, and it will be your downfall. Amelia's assistant remembers who was in her office before the ring was found and given to Sirius. You must have been thrilled when he gave it to me so quickly." Cornelius grunted and shifted his body weight away from Delores. He nearly teetered off his chair completely.

"We have the two of you on twenty-seven counts of improper procurement of regulated potions ingredients, thirteen counts of illegal potions procurement, six counts of illegal use of a Memory Potion, Delores, and one count of attempted murder, Cornelius," Amelia said. "When you're found guilty, Delores, you will serve twelve years in Azkaban, and Cornelius, you will serve eighteen years."

"Because you're both so high profile, we don't want to detain you here at the Ministry," Kingsley said. "We don't know what the Death Eaters would do to you in the holding cells below. Your trial will commence at one this afternoon. In the interim, you will be held in my office, with a full complement of Aurors."

"But we don't have time to mount a defense," Fudge said. "I'm innocent."

"Your defense attorneys have been working since this morning," Amelia said. "I wouldn't want it said that we didn't provide you a trial."

"What if I want to plead guilty and give evidence against him?" Umbridge said.

"It would seem your crimes are so closely intertwined that we can't see separating them," Scrimgeour said. "As for evidence, well, the Aurors have done their jobs. A speedy trial seems best."

"That will be all. Rufus, if you will bring their escort in, please." The Minister stood and opened the door, and six Aurors came in to take the pair away.

"This isn't the last of it, Princess Fawley. You've not heard the last of me!" Fudge screamed at her.

"No, it's not. You'll see me later, at the trial, both as a witness and as a member of the Wizengamot. Oh, did you forget that I'm a seated member as someone from a Most Noble and Most Ancient family? So will my husband, as he's Lord Black and so will our friend as the Potter estate and seat executor. And the name is Kitty Fawley-Black. Don't forget it." Fudge and Umbridge were cajoled out of the office, and the remaining four agreed a Champagne toast was in order. Amelia just happened to have a bottle and four glasses in her desk.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 33:**

**Condemnation**

**August 1986**

"You look nervous," Sirius said to Kitty as they were in the room deep within Gringotts again. He was having his second set of tattoos removed today – all the ones dealing with his blood – and Kitty was understandably anxious. However, before they began his procedure, they would destroy the Horcruxes Sirius and Narcissa had located without a problem.

"Sirius, I'm seven months pregnant, and you're having tattoos tied into your heart and bloodstream destroyed today. I think I've earned the right to be leery." Kitty's emotions were frequently quick changing, and Sirius was doing his best to be calm.

"I would not be having these removed today if Brightsword and Mae didn't think we could do it safely."

"Why not at St. Mungo's then?"

"Because this room is safer, you know that. They only used the room for Harry's surgery at St. Mungo's so they had the full hospital available to them if there was an issue. Harry is a little boy, and they were working on his brain. I'm just having some tattoos removed."

"One of which stands for _Heart of Lead._ What if it were to turn your heart to lead?" Kitty queried, more frightened now than upset.

"Lady Katie, my dear sweet Katie," Sirius said, pulling her into his arms. "There is nothing in this world that will keep me from you and our little niffler growing inside you. Our very own prince or princess," he said before he stroked her protruding belly. "I'll have two children to care for soon, and a gorgeous mummy, too."

"Let us finish this," Brightsword said, indicating the Horcruxes. Sirius nodded and took Katie's hand. Remus was going to be given the privilege of assisting this time. Sirius would get his chance once more of his tattoos were removed and Kitty when she wasn't pregnant. Amelia admitted she wouldn't mind getting rid of one. The creature in the Ministry bowls was causing her headaches.

The married couple stayed off to the side with Fairblade and Mae, while Remus stood next to Brightsword and the flat, hewn-stone bench. He had two different pots on the table. The Horcruxes were then carefully removed from the iron boxes they'd been held in.

"You were wise to keep these objects separated and inside iron," the goblin said. "It is one of the few things which will contain a soul, such as these." All three magical humans nodded; it was something none of them remembered being taught but knew iron was useful in keeping spirits from entering your home. The door jambs and windowsills were all inlaid with iron at Grimmauld Place. Unlike Muggle folklore, it wouldn't keep witches from your door, but it would keep faeries and other creatures from entering the house. Sirius wished it worked on doxies because he and Andromeda were still removing them from Grimmauld Place, so Cissy and Draco could have their own home.

All watched as Brightsword placed the necklace on the top of the book. They rattled when they touched, causing Brightsword to put a containment charm on the objects. "The spirit is closer to the surface in the book," Fairblade murmured from near Kitty, which made the pregnant woman's stomach lurch again.

"When we destroyed the Horcrux in young Harry, I did not know how much of a fight the being inside the tumor would be," Brightsword continued. "That said, it was less of a fight than I expected. I brought with me the most potent weapons in my arsenal. Most things are killed with a goblin made dagger – the silver is imbued with many lethal substances, like Basilisk venom and dragon's blood – but the distillation of shimmering foxglove potion I used was equally deadly. I do not think these items, which have not been fed by a living source, will not put up such a fight.

"If you were in your werewolf form," Brightsword said to the man standing next to him, "your saliva would be lethal."

"I, er … how do you know?"

"Goblins are gifted with an extra layer of sight, which allows us to see what hides beneath the human skin. When you are smaller in stature than the dominant species, it is necessary to protect oneself. Just as I see the werewolf beneath your skin, I see the hound beneath Lord Fawley-Black, the baby in Princess Fawley-Black's belly as well as the Boobrie in her soul." Kitty looked at him, shocked. She wouldn't have thought something so special would be inside her. She'd never considered becoming an Animagus, even though Jamie and Sirius had wanted her to learn. She was roused from her musing by Brightsword speaking.

"Today, we are going to use two substances in combination to destroy these items," Brightsword said. "The pulverized scales of a Chinese Fireball dragon and the tears of the Firebird combined together make a fiery acid which nothing can withstand. Mr. Lupin, will you please take the pot with the Fireball scales, and when I say, please pour them over the Horcruxes."

The pot was already unstopped, so Remus picked it up and held it over the objects. "Ready, pour." When the two substances met, a fire was born from them. The fire danced on, and through the Horcruxes, the necklace quickly consumed and charred black. It burst open, and a squeal was heard. The fire slid into the compartments, and soon, there was nothing. All that remained was a melted mess where the necklace had been.

The book's cover would not burn, and from it, an image of a Hebridean Black dragon appeared, wraith-like and silent. A Chinese Fireball appeared next to, and the dragons looked at each other before the Black bowed its head and went up in flames. The book then opened, and the pages burst into flames. From them leaped the image of a young man in his Hogwarts uniform. He looked at the five other beings in the room before screaming out and collapsing into the fire. As quickly as the magical fire came into existence, so too did it extinguish itself.

"Do we know who the young man was?" Brightsword asked.

"It was most likely some version of Tom Riddle," Kitty said, "it's the real name of the creature called Voldemort."

"Interesting," Brightsword said even as Fairblade was working to clear the items away from the Horcrux destruction. Mae briefly said something to Remus, who gave her a soft kiss to the cheek before she stepped behind a rocky outcropping near the slab. Fairblade was erecting shield charms above the rocks. Mae would be safe here, as she monitored Sirius' circulation and heart. With the shields in place, Fairblade then worked on cushioning the slab.

"Remus, take her and keep her safe," Sirius said to his friend of his now crying wife. Kitty was given one last kiss before their friend escorted her away. The sealing of the door made a horrible clang, which caused Sirius to blanche.

"You are at ill-ease," Brightsword said. "I believe all will be well today."

"It isn't you, or your skill, Brightsword," Sirius answered truthfully. "There is just a great deal going on in our household, the least of which is my wife being unable to sleep well. It isn't her fault, but I haven't had a full night's rest in weeks."

"Get used to it," Brightsword said with a smile. "My youngest insisted on being fed every two hours like clockwork. Infants, regardless of species, require much from their parents."

"I suppose you're right," Sirius said as he hopped onto the table and laid down. Remembering a bit about the preparation sequence, he welcomed the calming potion Fairblade brought him this time. As it slipped through his system, the warm, blanket-like feeling enveloped him, and he let his worries about parenthood, his wife, his cousin, and even Voldemort slide away. He felt the conjured restraints on his wrists, ankles, and across his forehead form, relaxing him even further. He was safe. All would go well this time.

Brightsword began his prayer to his ancestors, invoking them to protect them both while he worked. The familiar web-like cocoon formed over Sirius, encasing him. So far, things were proceeding as he remembered. Fairblade had begun to chant in Gobbledygook, which Sirius wasn't sure if he remembered or not.

Oil was poured over the first of the tattoos, the ones on the inside of his arm, at the juncture of his elbow, and the one on the same shoulder. The lower signified 'Bitter Blood' and the upper 'All things like ash and hard to bear.' His time in Azkaban had certainly been that. Brightsword had begun his chanting, and Sirius' skin had the familiar tug of it being lifted away. Fairblade offered him the anti-nausea potion, which he happily accepted as the dragon's blood was being used next, and the smell was revolting.

Two tattoos were gone, and they went on to the third. A large one on the right side of his chest, which signified 'live with the dust.' It came off quickly, and they were three-quarters of the way done. Now came the one which caused everyone such worry. The tattoo over his heart, meaning 'heart of lead.'

The process started off the same way, but instead of Sirius feeling the tug on his skin, something clenched in his chest.

"His heart rate has just dropped," Mae said from behind her shield.

"We need to rid his body of the ties to the tattoo first," Brightsword said calmly. Fairblade produced a small bowl full of shimmering water, a little Goblin made knife similar to the ones Wizards used to cut their potions materials with, a small bottle with a red substance in it, and a different phial with oil in it. The bowl was placed over Sirius' heart.

Brightsword took the knife and cut through the water several times. He then poured in a measure of the red substance which Sirius smelled as being wine.

_Tenebris levandum _(Dark be lightened

_ Dura Molliri _Harsh be softened

_ Gradum Dulocrabitur _Rank be sweetened

_ Potentia cultro _Power of the Knife

_ Potestas Aquae _Power of the Water

_ Hoc Animo Dulue _Unbind This Heart)

The goblin chanted before adding the oil, which was sweet-smelling, and his heart unclenched.

The removal of this one seemed slower, more arduous, and the longer it took, the weaker Sirius felt.

"Hold on, Sirius," Mae said to him in her calming, sweet voice. "When it's done, I'll come to heal you, just concentrate on breathing evenly."

Sirius hadn't realized he wasn't breathing evenly, but he did feel his rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing when he took stock of himself. Using every skill he had learned to calm himself while in prison, he drew his mind in and concentrated just on his thoughts. These were of his family, his wife, his dearest friend. He knew when the tattoo was removed. The stress left him, and he was exhausted.

Mae came over, waving her wand wildly over him, and began gently pouring potions into his mouth. Sirius was vaguely aware of Kitty and Remus being beside him, she was kissing him, and then there was nothing. He awoke hours later in his own bed.

Kitty went back to work the following day, even though she wanted to stay home and nurse her husband. Cissy had promised to ensure Sirius stayed resting in her absence and she had reluctantly left knowing Amelia needed her in the office, immediately.

Stopping in her own office only long enough to drop off her brief bag and cape, Kitty strode to Amelia's office to find Kingsley and Rufus awaiting her.

"Good morning?" Kitty asked more than stated. There were grim faces all around. "What's happened?"

"We'll start with the good news," Amelia said after Kitty had taken the takeaway cup of herbal tea Amelia offered her, and Kitty had sat down. "The destruction of two Horcruxes you had weakened the child," she said hesitantly. They'd not come up with a name for the 'thing' that was the one sliver of Voldemort caged in the basement. "Respirations decreased, and it's not opened its eyes since yesterday."

"Sounds like good news, like destroying these things is doing what we expected. What's the bad news."

"We have to attempt to keep it alive by any means possible," Rufus Scrimgeour said dourly.

"What?" Kitty asked disbelievingly.

"The child, or whatever it is, is now in the custody of the Ministry of Magic, and once in our custody, we cannot kill it unless it is ordered to receive the Dementor's Kiss," Rufus continued. "We cannot get an order to give it the Dementor's Kiss without a trial, and the child cannot be held to trial due to it's being incapacitated."

"So, we have to wait until we've found the remaining Horcruxes, destroy them, and then hope that thing is too weak to live any longer?" Kitty asked.

"Yes," Amelia said. "In fact, if it can't assist in feeding itself much longer, we may need to place it into St. Mungo's with an Auror guard on it."

"We could forget the guard one day and let it slip it's there," Kingsley suggested with a smirk on his face.

"We cannot do that, King," Rufus replied. "As much as I would like to. I'd go down and kill it myself, but the Death Eaters would see me, and then there would be a trial and –"

"No one is going to kill it," Amelia said harshly. "It doesn't matter what Voldemort has done in the past, what we have in the containment cell isn't alive as we know it, and therefore needs protection."

"How did we, the Ministry of Magic, end up protecting the evilest Wizard even known in Great Britain? It's a Topsy-Turvey world," Kitty mused.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 34:**

**Pleasure, Little Treasure**

**August 30, 1986 **

"It's hardly like the same house," Narcissa said as she walked through Grimmauld Place with her sister and cousin. "You've even managed to get rid of the smell." Most folks who visited in their childhood were too polite to mention the musty-cloying perfume odor that permeated everything in the house. It was like old gym socks wrapped around roses, or at least that is how James described it the one time he'd come over before Sirius ultimately left his home. The three of them had endured it from birth because living in a house with your extended family wasn't strange enough. Dromy said she was six when she realized everywhere didn't smell foul, just the place they had all grown up in.

"Other than the walls, floors, and stairwells, it really isn't the same house," Sirius said. "We took everything down to the framing and started over. It was the only way to get rid of the portrait of mother and the horrid wallpaper." All three Black children had dealt with the screeching and screaming of Walburga Black at various times over the last six months. At first, Walburga had been kind to Cissy, until she realized that Cissy had left Lucius. The portrait and the wall which held it had been destroyed with a goblin made dagger Sirius found in the junk around the house.

"What happened to the formal parlor," Cissy asked as she walked into what had formerly been the receiving room.

"I doubted you really wanted the room which had so much dark energy remaining," Sirius explained. "I thought you'd rather have a solarium for your plants and a potions brewing area. I know you love your plants. Remus had the gardeners at the estate give you cuttings of all the magical and non-magical plants that could survive here."

"What about the lethal ones? None of this is high enough for Draco to stay out of?"

"They aren't here, but you know you can Floo call us if you need them," he answered.

"This is amazing," Cissy said as she walked about the room. Andromeda and Sirius smiled, happy to see her relaxed and in a place she loved. After a quick turn through the foliage, she came back to her family. "Let me see the rest of it."

The trio climbed to the first floor, finding the library changed only slightly. The thick, green velvet curtains with the silver stitching had been removed, leaving in their place a royal blue set made of silk damask with flowers on it. The grime had been banished from the windows, and soft light filtered through the creamy sheers. The doxy infestation had gone with the drapes, thankfully.

"I took the Dark magic books out," Sirius explained. "If we need them, they're in the Black family vault."

"No one needs those books," Dromy stated. They next came to what used to be the ballroom.

"Wait, where is the ballroom?" Cissy asked.

"No one needs a ballroom anymore," Sirius stated. "We don't know enough people to invite to a ball, and the house is too well hidden. I divided it up, I hope you don't mind. If we need to have a ball, we can use Kitty's house, like she does for the Sacred Twenty-Eight Christmas disaster, excuse me, party each year."

The door they went through had led them to a soft, feminine sitting room. "I thought you might like somewhere you can –" Sirius was interrupted.

"_Padfoot, your wife is in labor and has been for hours. I think you should meet us at St. Mungo's," _the wolf-shaped Patronus announced. Sirius' cousins watched him pale.

"What do they mean she has been for hours?" he mumbled.

"Sirius, labor is a process," Dromy said with a chuckle. "When it first starts, it's slow and unpredictable. I'm guessing she didn't want you to make a fuss."

"Not make a fuss! She's having the baby!" Sirius was now hyperventilating.

"Okay, Sirius, come here and sit down," Cissy said, directing him to a chair. "Dromy, I don't think he's in any condition to Apparate to the hospital. I'll Floo back to Fawley House and take care of the boys if you take him to his wife."

"Sounds like a plan," Dromy said. It had been an adjustment to them both, having their sister back, but it made them both happy. Working together like this was exceedingly pleasant. It was like when they were small. Cissy left to go to the fireplace in the lower hall while Dromy helped her cousin to his feet. "Do you need a potion, or are you going to be alright, Siri?"

"My wife is going to have a baby," he said numbly.

"You've known this for a while," she replied with another chuckle. "Come on, I'll give you a _Draught of Peace_ on our way out. It should help you to feel more like yourself. Kitty is going to need you."

"Right, she needs me to help her breathe."

"You're right, she does." She was glad Remus was ready to jump in if needed since Sirius appeared utterly overwhelmed.

Early the next morning, Remus walked down the hall with a bouquet of flowers from the gardens around the property in one hand, and his other held onto Harry's little hand.

"I really like my tee-shirt, Uncle Remus," Harry said proudly. Remus had bought Harry an **I'm the Big Brother**__shirt at a children's store a few weeks ago. Harry was holding onto the one which stated the little sibling status in a bag he had decorated yesterday. The flowers he and Ginny had picked out together when he'd Floo called to tell her his mummy had gone to the hospital to have the baby. Draco didn't want to pick flowers, which is why he called Ginny. Sometimes Draco acted like he was too important to do fun stuff. It made Harry feel sorry for him.

"I'm glad you like your shirt," Remus said. "Which one do you think I put into the bag you decorated?"

"I don't know," Harry answered thoughtfully. "I think I'd like a little sister because Ginny is my best friend, and a little sister would be a bit like Ginny. But, if I had a little brother, he might like the same things I do, like flying and reading. Of course, Ginny flies–even though her mummy doesn't know she flies—and she really likes books."

"Harry, no matter if you have a sister or brother, I think they will love to fly and read. Your daddy is a great flier, and your mummy reads a lot. Children are often like their parents." Remus enjoyed talking with his nephew quite a bit. For only six, he had some astute insights.

"Then, the baby is going to have black hair, because both mummy and daddy have black hair."

"Yes, I think it is fair to make that assumption. Although Mrs. Cissy has blonde hair, and she's Sirius' cousin. Your first mummy had red hair."

"Yes, but I have the same eyes as my first mummy and messy dark hair like my first daddy. I think I'd like the baby to have dark hair, then we will all look like we belong together."

"Harry, I don't think anyone who saw you with your mummy and daddy wouldn't know you were family, because you love each other so much. I think you'll all love the baby that way too."

"I know I will," Harry said confidently. "I'm the big brother. What color do you think the baby's eyes will be? Daddy has grey eyes, and Mummy has blue eyes."

"Babies with pale skin, like Kitty and Sirius have usually are born with blue eyes. The neat thing is that they can change before the baby is one. We will just have to wait to see what color they really are. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. "It'll be like a project for us."

"Yes, it will be, Harry."

They came into the room and saw that the single bed had been stretched magically, so it was now a double. Sirius was sitting on the bed next to Kitty. She had dozed off, and Sirius had a little bundle of blankets in his arm. Kitty roused at the noise Harry made, smiling at him when she realized that her little boy was there.

"Hi," she said a little drowsy still. "I was wondering when my best guy was going to arrive."

"Isn't daddy your best guy?" Harry asked, indignant for his father, even if said man wasn't upset.

"No, he's my husband," Kitty explained. "You're my best guy."

"So, what do you think? Is the baby a girl or a boy?" Sirius asked as he was unwrapping the baby. When Harry saw the hair, he was excited.

"I told you the baby would have black hair," Harry said to Remus. When Sirius had the baby completely unwrapped, Harry saw the blue onesie and jumped up and down. "It's a boy! I have a brother! Wait, we have a shirt for him." Harry thrust his little bag at his mother, and she withdrew the matching shirt to Harry's from the bag, proudly stating he was the little brother.

"Are those from our gardens?" Kitty asked, seeing that Remus was arranging the flowers in the provided vase.

"They are," Harry said proudly. "Ginny helped me pick them out."

"They're beautiful, Harry. You're lucky to have such a good friend."

"I know I am," he answered. "Can I come to give you a hug?"

"Of course, you can," Kitty answered. "Remus, a hand?" Remus nodded and lifted Harry carefully to sit next to his mummy and look at his little brother.

"What's the baby's name? We can't just call him baby."

"We thought about naming him John, what do you think?"

"John, like Uncle Remus' Remus John?" Harry asked.

"Just like Uncle Remus' John," Sirius said. "John Antares Fawley-Black."

"Antares is one of the stars in the sky. I remember learning about that."

"You're right, Harry, and there isn't a single Black family member named Antares, so your brother isn't named after an awful person," Sirius said happily. "It took a while to find a star name that we could use."

"I would have thought you'd want to name him after James," Remus said softly.

"I have a son named after James," Sirius answered. "Harry James Fawley-Black. We wanted this son named after you."

"We couldn't have done any of this without you, Remus," Kitty added. "Will you be his godfather?"

"Yes, of course."

"We have the best family," Harry said happily as he leaned his head down on his mother's shoulder.

"You're right, sweetheart," Kitty said while stroking his head. "We do."


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 35:**

**The Child Inside**

**March 9, 1987**

Kitty was in her bathroom, attempting to ready herself for her first day back in the office. It had been just over six months since John had been born, and she was ready to leave him now, but only because there were still three Horcruxes out there. The "child" still lived, housed in the Ministry holding cells, tended to by a medi-witch twenty-four hours a day. Six of them rotated through the days, doing little but ensuring the thing didn't die in Ministry custody for lack of care.

The Death Eaters captured in Yugoslavia had been given the Kiss, as had a few already in Azkaban like Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, and his brother. Overwhelming evidence of what they had done was found. Without the undue influence of those who had swayed the trials, the Kiss was ruled for. There was only a half-dozen known Death Eaters remaining at large, and none of them were formidable, nor were they in the country.

One of the medi-witches had reported that the thing was capable of speech, as they'd spoken to Lucius Malfoy before he was taken to his trial only a few weeks previous. Kitty was hoping she could goad it into speaking today. She wanted to find the rest of these things and have the creature die. As long as it lived, someone could free it and take it into hiding. While Voldemort didn't pose any threat physically to anyone in his current form, he could be used as a figurehead, which would be dangerous.

Rufus had done a remarkable job in her first year of ridding the Ministry of Death Eater-leaning staff. She gave people a chance to come clean about ways they had turned away while people like Malfoy purchased loyalties or favors, but if they lied about it or continued to be bought off, they were fired. Shockingly, the Auror department had two such individuals. Rufus Scrimgeour was livid. He maintained the department's leadership while the investigations were on-going, but now he was willing to let John Dawlish take over the lead. Kitty wasn't going to be going on missions, even in the local area; she was strictly analysis. This was the compromise for her continuing to work.

"Look, Mum, John is smiling at me," Harry said while watching his little brother. John was in a magically enhanced baby seat that kept the baby in constant motion, which was utterly necessary. While generally a well-behaved child, the rocking helped make him so. He loved his big brother, and Harry often occupied the baby by reading, singing, or making funny faces.

"That's because he loves you," Sirius said as he came into the room. "Have you brushed your teeth yet?"

"Nope, sorry, Dad," Harry said while popping up and running down the hall to his room. He was now in the rooms his father had initially been had when he moved in, and John was in Harry's old, little space. They were all thankful that John was now sleeping six or seven hours at a stretch, which meant everyone had a good night's sleep.

Sirius took his son out of his rocking seat and stared at him adoringly. While it was a good bet the baby would have black hair and light eyes, no one expected John's face to be the spitting image of his mother. He had the Fawley startlingly blue eyes and heart-shaped lips, but his hair was his father's. The baby already had beautiful, wavy black hair that dried perfectly, even if he was on his back as it did. Kitty suspected he'd have his first haircut before his first birthday.

"I still think he sometimes looks like he's stoned," Sirius said bluntly.

"He's not stoned, he just doesn't focus his eyes well sometimes," Kitty told him again. "Are you confident about taking care of him by yourself?"

"Lady Katie, this is my son, I'm sure I'll be fine. There are bottles in the fridge, and Cheery and Rumple are here should I need them." It was true, the house-elves were about, but Kitty was still concerned. Sirius tossed their son in the air just after he'd been fed last week. Father wore the son's lunch on his hair and shirt due to the activity.

"Okay, I'm only supposed to work this morning, so I should be home to do the early afternoon feeding. He's had the cereal for this morning and give him the green beans with his lunch."

"They're so gross looking," Sirius complained.

"Yes, they can be, but it's important to start him on his veggies first. Give him the beans with his cereal."

"Fine, fine, beans with lunch," Sirius said. "You look beautiful."

"I'm in my grey Auror robes," Kitty said with disdain. "These things look like industrial drapes."

"You are still beautiful, my powerful Auror-wife," he said as he leaned in to kiss her. John squealed when his mother was close enough to grab, and he took hold of her hair and pulled. John loved long hair, which had caused his parents to begin pulling theirs back and securing it at the neck.

"Ow!" Kitty exclaimed. "John, you cannot grab Mummy's hair." Sirius pried his son's fingers off his wife's hair and then leaned over to kiss her quickly.

"Go on and have a good day. We will see you after lunchtime," Sirius said, and she nodded. Kitty walked down the hall to Harry's room, kissed him goodbye, and told him to have a good day.

"Don't forget, I'm going to Draco's for dinner tonight," Harry said. The two cousins had bonded, and often Draco stayed for dinner, or Harry went to Grimmauld Place. He also went to the Burrow or the Longbottom's home, but he spent more time with Draco. Cissy and Dromy had been instrumental the first weeks after John was born, and Kitty wasn't sure how she'd ever pay Sirius' cousins back.

Once at the office, Kitty's nerves settled as she found the familiar complaints of her coworkers about paperwork and sitting in damp, muddy grass overnight quite familiar. After a meeting with Amelia and Rufus, she was given a task. She, along with Kingsley, headed to the absolute lowest level of the Ministry building. He would be under a Disillusionment Charm for her protection. This level wasn't on any map of the offices, and no one spoke of it. The detainment level could only be reached with the lift in the Minister for Magic's office, and only with a key Amelia kept on her person or locked in a drawer.

Kitty let Kingsley slip out first, and then she left the lift. She heard the doors automatically clang shut, no operator for this one. She opened another entrance, this one requiring her wand and a little-known spell.

"_Persequimini tenebris,_" she said softly. Though the only person who would hear her was Kingsley, it still was unnerving to say. _Expose the Dark_, she thought; obviously, whoever built the Ministry knew this level would be for the worst of the worst. Those who dabbled in Dark magic, murdered, tortured, and those who had forever changed Wizarding society. Had Voldemort committed crimes on a more international level, he would be housed in the International Wizarding Prison. But the thing's crimes were entirely directed at the United Kingdom's Wizarding population, so he was housed here as it was more secure than even Azkaban.

Kitty walked to the cell where he was contained and nodded to the medi-wizard, who then left them. Kitty was aware he'd re-enter if the soul-bit that was detained showed signs of too much stress, but the only time that happened was when the Horcruxes were destroyed over six months ago.

"I understand you're unwilling to speak to any of my colleagues," Kitty began, pulling her chair up to the magical barrier the creature had never approached. Given the way he looked, it was unlikely it could move without assistance. She calmly crossed her legs and placed her hands in her lap. "They've sent me down in hopes that you'll speak with me, Tom." The thing moved at her using his human name. He then cracked open an eye. "You're surprised, I know it? I know far more than you could imagine, Tom Riddle."

"I know you value pure blood over everything, and yet your father was a Muggle. Old family line, Gaunt, but your mother wasn't magical, right? It's funny, I am what you aspired to be, yet my family never chose to follow you. We have been in this country for thousands of years, and we've married well so that I'm not only a Pureblood, but I'm a blue blood. I might have ruled England if different marriages had been made, but that's not of consequence to me. I have no desire to rule anything." The creature made a fist and glared at her.

"Do you expect me to cower in fear at your glower?" Kitty scoffed. "I have a five-and-a-half-year-old at home who hates to eat his peas, and he tries to stare me down. If I don't give in to him, I'm certainly not going to give in to you." Kitty paused to see if the bit of Tom's soul made flesh did anything, but when it continued to stare, she went on.

"You know my son, my boy who hates his peas. His name is Harry, Harry Potter. It was Potter before we adopted him." The creature turned its head toward her. "Ah, so my Harry is the key to your attention. Interesting. Did you know he was the key to finding your Horcruxes, too?" Voldemort made a strangled sound. Kitty smiled without any warmth. She continued to speak in measured tones.

"Oh, yes, I know about those little slivers of soul you've hidden away in objects. We have destroyed three – the bit in Slytherin's hideous locket and the tiny tad you put into the diary. Plus, we safely removed the tumor of your soul fragment that was in my son. You didn't mean to make that one, did you? If we go back to the cottage in Godric's Hollow, will we find some ridiculous memento of your life you planned to use to house your living essence?" The creature's eyes continued to train on Kitty. Continuing to taunt him, she spoke again.

"It was interesting when we took the rock-like tumor out of my son's head. His body had calcified around that infinitesimal smidgen of your depravity and separated it from the wonderful mind of my little boy. It was there, just behind the scar on his forehead. Funny thing, now that Dark magic isn't oozing around behind his skin, the scar is healed and barely noticeable," Kitty teased. "It was such a mistake you made that night. Had you never gone after James and Lily, had you not tried to murder an infant, you might have succeeded in conquering Britain, but you chose to follow a prophecy. As my dear great-great-auntie, the Dowager Princess likes to say, 'Divination is a bunch of donkey dung.'" The creature shifted, still glaring at Kitty.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret, you didn't know the whole prophecy. I do. See, it not only said that a child was coming as the seventh month died who would be born to parents who had thrice defied you, but it also said the child would have a power you do not have. I've thought about that statement frequently, and I finally discovered what power Harry has that you don't have. Harry has a family that loves him. Harry has a family that loves him so much we decided to do whatever it took to make sure that mass was gone from him. You don't understand that do you? Family. Parents who will sacrifice so their children are safe and happy. Obviously, you don't think it's possible since you were willing to sacrifice children to return to power. It's why Narcissa fled with Draco. She loves her son enough to save him, just like Harry's father and I do."

"I am immortal."

"You will die because you decided to believe in something which only will come true because you went after a child. If you'd done nothing, allowed the prophecy to wash through you, then you might have taken over."

"I will rise again," the thing whispered. Kitty leaned forward and stared at the creature.

"How? You can't even feed yourself or use the loo on your own. That's what the medi-witches do for you. They wave their wands, and your waste is removed. Your nutritional potions are sent to your stomach for distribution throughout your body. You're not going to rise if you can't lift a spoon." She stayed quiet and waited. After long moments, she leaned back and spoke again. The creature was at a state of high agitation, and she knew just what might push him over.

"I do have to commend you on how you funded your operation. It was brilliant to have your followers buy un-set gemstones and then take them out of the country to be sold again. Once those witches and wizards had their gold, they either brought it back into the country or purchased supplies for you. See, that is where the mistake was. Purchasing potions supplies or illegal weapons like enchanted throwing stars and barbed ropes left a paper trail. I'm exceptional at following paper trails. I followed the Avery and Nott money from their purchases in England to Bulgaria or Russia to sell them – absolutely idiotic of them to stop and see the Russian magical court, by the way. I have spies who told me the minute their feet were on the carpets there.

"From there, I followed them to Africa to make more purchases and finally, into New Zealand, where they went to recruit followers. Every time your associates landed in these places, I knew, and I knew what they were up to. Why do you think they were they were tried?"

"You will die for your insolence."

"No, I won't. I'm not insolent either; I'm just good at my job. Help us end this, so no one accidentally hurts themselves with those things. Someone has already lost most of their hand to one."

"My faithful servants will fight for me," he said, the red eyes flashing with anger.

"There's no one here to fight for you. Even my father-in-law has left the country and his fortune. I married Sirius Black, Orion's 'disappointment of a son.' If you think Orion gave you his gold, you're sadly mistaken. I reviewed the historic finances of the Black family. Orion and Cygnus might have said they supported you, but the reality is you only received about four percent of the Black family's total net worth. Then, when you disappeared after murdering my best friends, the two men fled to Germany, leaving the money behind. Your followers were fickle. Tell me where the other three Horcruxes are."

"You will never find them."

"We already found two. Your hubris will be your undoing. We assume that they're with other former followers of your homes, just like the diary and locket were." The thing growled again.

"Oh, one of them wasn't where you thought it was. I'm betting it was the locket. So, you didn't give it to Orion for safekeeping?" The creature glared. "Not Orion, Regulus. Did you give it to Regulus, and he just left it sitting about? Sirius found it behind some books in the library." The thing's eyes dilated, and he broke out in goose flesh. "You weren't expecting it to be there. You thought it was hidden. Even your most faithful followers didn't do what you expected."

"I will regain my strength. My servants will come to me." He said, although with far less vitriol as before. He was tiring.

"No one will come to you, and you will die here. We will find the diadem, the ring, and the cup, and we will kill those tiny bits of you inside them. You will wither in this cell and scream out in terror as each one is demolished. Until, finally, you will just be what you are here. Your body is weak, and it will eventually fail. We all fail in the end. That's death. It is inevitable."

Kitty stood, pushed the chair away from the barrier, and turned to leave.

"I am Lord Voldemort."

"No, you're a tiny fraction of the man Tom Riddle, the half-blood." Then Kitty left.

Kingsley congratulated her on the lift, and Kitty started ordering her thoughts to share with Amelia and Rufus. When her meeting was over, she used the private Floo from the MLE to call someone. It took almost no time for them to answer.

"I am surprised by this," they said.

"I know, but it's time for us to speak," Kitty replied. "I need to know everything you can tell me about the life of Tom Riddle."

"Come through," they said, and Kitty stood and went through the Floo to Hogwarts.

"This is your chance, Dumbledore," Kitty said upon arriving. "Help us end him."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 36:**

**In Your Memory**

**April 1987**

"Are you certain about bringing him with us?" Sirius asked, eyeing Albus Dumbledore with complete skepticism across the lounge in their home.

"He knows more about this than any of us," Kitty said. "He could teach us, but I think it's better we take him with us. Anyway, James and Lily trusted him with their lives, I don't think we should raise Harry and John thinking their future Headmaster is someone to distrust."

"He could retire before they go to school," Sirius retorted.

"Does he strike you as someone who is going to retire in the next four years? You do realize it's only a bit over four years until Harry will be heading off to Hogwarts?"

"Where the hell does the time go?"

"Into Silly French Toast mornings and rainbow bubble baths at night," Kitty said. "When it's time for Harry to leave us, he will have had a wonderful childhood to think back on. Thankfully our little Niffler has some more time home with mummy and daddy." Kitty walked over to where John was sitting with a few toys. He smiled and squealed in delight when she picked up her little son.

"Speaking of Nifflers, should we be considering trying for another one?" Sirius asked. Kitty looked at him with surprise.

"Let's get John to his first birthday before we discuss more babies, please. Being pregnant and going on a Horcrux hunt are not compatible."

Remus came in and collected Harry for his lessons. The boy spoke with Professor Dumbledore, and when the child and his teacher had gone to meet his classmates, the Headmaster came over to Sirius, Kitty, and John were.

"He's a remarkable boy," Albus said, and both Kitty and Sirius puffed up with pride.

"He is, and he's smart," Sirius said. "Remus said that if he were in the Muggle school system, he might need to be in the KS two, year three, rather than the KS one, year one. His reading and comprehension levels are very high."

"Well, it's not every Magical child who is given such a broad education before they reach us. His first year at Hogwarts might be quite a bore," Albus said.

"Remus has intentionally stayed away from the traditional core classes taught at Hogwarts, save history. His Defense skills will be high, just because we have taught him a few simple ways to protect himself. We hope he never needs to use them," Kitty said. "When they are old enough for Astronomy and Arithmancy, all of Remus' students will be well ahead, however, and Neville is already quite advanced in Herbology."

"You're going to have a hard time keeping Ginny Weasley from petitioning to go with her brother and her friends," Sirius said. "She reads as well as Harry and has been since she was three. I sometimes think she and Harry communicate in their own language. It sounds like Latin, French, and English all rolled into one."

"Really, I didn't realize they were so close," Albus said.

"Ever since we brought Harry home," Kitty said. "She kissed him and held his hand through his fourth birthday party, and they've been stuck together since." Just then, John reached out and grabbed Dumbledore's beard. He gave a surprised 'ouch' while Kitty pried his fingers off the elderly man's beard. "I am so sorry; he has a thing for hair. Since the day he was born, he's wrapped his fingers up in it, and once he could, he'd pull it into his mouth. I think it's time he went with Auntie Cissy." Narcissa was staying at Fawley House this morning while Draco was in class to watch John. The little boy was very taken with his kind 'auntie.' Kitty left to drop John off in the nursey.

"Your cousin is doing well?" Albus asked.

"Yes, she and Draco like living in Grimmauld Place, and my mother's old house-elf seems to respect her, so it's working out. Her hand has recovered about as far as they think it will. She's learning to adapt to what she can and can't do," Sirius answered. "I think having a garden to tend and potions to brew has helped her heal. It always was her favorite thing, even when we were children," Sirius explained. "Dromy liked the kitchen with our grandmothers, and Cissy was in the potions lab with grandfather. Bella, however, was off torturing whatever or whoever she could. I wasn't sorry when she was Kissed," Sirius admitted. "Both Dromy and I are happy to have Cissy back."

"I was surprised when you took her in and gave her your ancestral home."

"Kitty is the reason I took her in, and I'm glad she did. I learned about forgiveness through my wife. As for the house, we were never going to live there," Sirius answered tightly. "There are just too many bad memories for me. Even now, if we go there for dinner, we eat in the kitchen, so I have some chance of digesting my food." Albus nodded, and Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived at the same time Kitty returned.

"Did you bring the glasses?" Kitty asked, and Kingsley pulled them out of his pocket. "Excellent. These are new to our department. They allow the wearer to see latent magic in an item. Especially helpful to the reversals process and finding Dark items. With the permission of the Head of the DMLE and the Minister for Magic, we are using them today."

"She has pull with the higher-ups," Kingsley joked.

"I'm not the one dating the head of the department," Kitty tossed back.

"Okay, children," Sirius said with a laugh. "Let's review before we leave." Instead of letting Dumbledore speak, Kitty immediately launched into her assessment.

"Albus believes we will find something in Tom Riddle's mother's home," she started. "His father's home is currently unoccupied, although it does have a caretaker. Since his father is a Muggle, it's highly unlikely Tom would have hidden anything there. Riddle is half-Gaunt, so we're looking in the little house his grandfather would have died in. As far as we can tell, there are no other members of the Gaunt family living, so the line will die out with Tom."

"They were in the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Sirius said. "We've lost several of the old families now. The Lords section of the Wizengamot looks rather different."

"In a good way," Kingsley said. "If it weren't for those changes, we never would have voted the Werewolf Rights Act into law." The principal legislation was the first success of Rufus Scrimgeour's new administration. With it, werewolves were given full Magical citizenship and protections under the law regarding persecution, job loss, and marginalization. Additionally, the Ministry would be subsidizing the Wolfsbane Potion creation, so anyone who wanted to take it could afford it. The new Twenty-Eight Lords and Ladies was a far more progressive group and planned to make other changes to the UK's Wizarding world.

"Yes, that was a perfect day here," Kitty said with a smile. "If we are all prepared, we should get this done. Sirius, you have the box, correct?"

"In my pocket. I've also brought both of our pairs of Dragonhide Gloves, just in case."

"Good," Kitty said. "Let's go, we can Portkey from outside." The group exited the house and went past the wards to Portkey safely. Kitty had selected a broken bit of pottery from the cupboards on the first floor; they had so much of it, centuries of it. This was just as good a use as any. She said the spells, giving themselves thirty seconds before it would go off. Sirius and Kingsley drew their wands, while Albus chose not to. He thought it was interesting they were prepared for a fight even though most of the Death Eaters were captured, and Voldemort was in the Ministry holding cells.

When they landed, Kitty and Kingsley immediately took up opposing positions, the other two between them, and began to scan the area. Kitty had done some light reconnaissance, so they landed behind a copse of trees about twenty feet from the shack. Not detecting anyone near them, they lowered their wands in unison.

"You know, I really wouldn't want to be someone who tried to get the drop on you two," Sirius said casually. "You'd have blown them up before a word could be uttered."

"Sirius, I'm more than a pretty face," Kitty said with a lopsided grin.

"Me too," Kingsley added, and the quartet shared a laugh. "Here put these on. I think we need to give the exterior of this place a thorough inspection. If it were my home, I'd protect it."

"Remember, though, Tom does not feel any love toward his mother. She left him, abandoned him. He is quite antagonistic about her and her memory," Albus said as he finally withdrew his wand.

"I hated my mother, too, but not enough to erase the whole memory of her and her family," Sirius added.

"You had a surrogate mother, Sirius, who loved you so deeply," Kitty reminded him.

"Tom was a very damaged little boy when I first met him," Albus said. "I had hoped that being somewhere with people who were like him, and with teachers who cared would change him. I was very wrong. Sirius, you were never consumed with pain and anger. If anything, I think your cousin Bella is the only other student who was so evil, even as a child. She had everything, parents and an extended family who adored her and every opportunity growing up. I truly think that some people are born with evilness inside them; their minds do not work correctly, and they are incapable of feeling love. Had I not been fearful of who might have taken her under their wing, I would have expelled Bellatrix."

"Well, it's a good thing Harry has a heart made for love, because what those Muggles did to him," Sirius interrupted himself with a sigh. "It's a miracle they didn't turn him into an Obscurus."

"Sirius, you're right, it is a good thing Harry had his mother's loving heart and his father's strength of spirit. I was wrong in how I handled him. I should have let you take him home the night his parents died. I should have known you were incapable of killing your friend and his wife. I also should have had you recalled, Kitty. If you'd known what had happened, you would have returned for Harry's sake. Please, forgive me for my transgressions."

The couple was quiet for a long moment. "Thank you for apologizing, Albus," Kitty said softly. "We all should have done some things differently. The important fact is that Harry is a wonderful boy and has a happy home now."

"My wife is more eloquent than I am," Sirius said. "I accept your apology. Now, let's get this damned Horcrux and get out of here. This whole place feels like death is just around the corner."

Sirius wasn't wrong in his assessment. With the new Magical Vision Glasses, it was possible to see the Dark magic clinging to the house like a ripped curtain flapping in the breeze.

"This place once had every protection enchantment known on it, but they weren't kept up, and there are holes everywhere. Wait," Kingsley said, holding his arm out. "The door has a particularly nasty spell on it. It reminds me of a snarling guard dog." He whispered something to Kitty, who nodded, and together they lifted their wands. Their movements were precise and in unison as they untangled the old spells from the new. With a thunderous crack, the latest hex was broken. "There are spells on either side of the pathway, so watch your step."

The small stone path was in surprisingly good condition, and it was easy to walk along it. Sirius marveled at how he could see the hexes in the grass be pushed about as Albus' robes swirled in front of him.

"Hold still, Dumbledore, you've picked up a little spell that's climbing up your robes," Sirius said about halfway up. The Headmaster was the only one wearing traditional robes; the other three were in jeans and jumpers. Sirius thought again that the Wizarding world really needed to get rid of everyday robes and wear trousers like the rest of the UK.

The doorknob hissed like a snake at them and went for Kitty's arm as she pointed her wand at it and blew it off the door. "I don't like snakes," she said before anyone asked why she'd used such a powerful spell.

The interior of the house was in worse shape than the exterior. Mold climbed up the walls in an intricate black wave and danced across the ceiling in a macabre ballet. The rug on the floor had been devoured in places, and the furniture was slowly rotting. Termites had attacked the legs of what was once a coffee table, leaving the thinnest of spindles for legs. Kitty was worried if they breathed on it wrong, it would collapse.

"That drawer," Kitty said, pointing at a desk in the corner. "The small one in the middle of the upper section. It's pulsating in Dark magic."

"That looks like it could contain something," Kingsley agreed. "I've got your back." Kitty walked hesitantly across the room, testing the floor as she went, and listening for something other than creaks of settling. Reaching the desk, she saw another spell on the whole desk.

"Given what he did to the diary, and what came out of it was an echo of Tom as a student, I think we should proceed carefully. Sirius, can I have my pair of gloves, please?" Sirius immediately removed them from his pocket and restored them to size. He restored his as well, put them on, and then restored the iron box.

Kitty plucked at the magic with her wand before conferring with Kingsley about what spells to use. "Sirius, will you cast a _Protego_ over us while we work. I don't want to lose any flesh while I'm expelling the Dark magic." The Auror pair worked for what felt like hours, although in reality, it was only fifteen minutes removing layers of magic to free the desk. Sweat dripped down Kitty's face, and Sirius couldn't remember when he'd last seen his wife actually perspire like this. He suspected it was in some intimate moment she probably wouldn't want commented on now. "He definitely had more magical skill when he put whatever it is in this desk. Remarkably, it wasn't destroyed."

With the desk safe, Kitty opened the drawer and inside found a small ring. With delicate precision, she lifted the item out with magic and brought it into the light. Again, Kingsley waved his wand, and the spell on the ring – a nasty withering hex – was broken. The Horcrux, however, pulsated beneath the gold. Kitty stared at the ring, intently. "Sirius, come look at this."

While most in the Wizarding world believed the story of The Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows was just a tale, Kitty and Sirius had heard Fleamont Potter talk about them. For the Potters, they weren't a myth. The Hallows were a fact; Jamie's special cloak was the proof. "How did he end up with a Deathly Hallow?"

"A what?" Dumbledore asked.

"The stone, it has the mark of the Deathly Hallows on it," Sirius said. "I know it was lost at some point; how did Tom Riddle find it?"

"I don't know, but it makes destroying it all that much more difficult. So much for our doing this by ourselves," Kitty answered. "We definitely need Brightsword on this one." Albus was reaching out to touch it, but Sirius opened the box, and Kitty dropped it in. The lid was shut and locked. The old man looked sad as he withdrew his hand.

"Only two more to find."

"I fear they may be much more difficult to locate," Albus said. "Other than Hogwarts, I do not know of any other place that had meaning to Tom."

"There isn't anything at the school?" Kingsley asked.

"If there is, I am unaware of it," the Headmaster replied.

"Then research it is," Kitty said. "I suspect I'll need to visit that thing in the basement again. King, let's put up another set of protections on the house. The last thing the department needs is to have some Muggle wander in and have an encounter with magic they can't possibly understand."


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: We are nearing the end, please keep track of the dates, we are jumping forward as the Horcrux hunt continues. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, MNF**

**Chapter 37:**

**Sacred**

**August 1987**

"Mum, John has cake in his hair," Harry said while observing his younger brother 'eat' his birthday cake. Kitty walked away from serving cake to the others who are here to celebrate, leaving Cheery to the task, and came to see the mess her youngest is in. The sight of the ground up cake and frosting make her stomach roll.

"I anticipated he'd be a mess," she told her eldest. "We can give him a quick bath before anyone else touches him. He likes the magic bubbles."

"Don't tell anyone, but I still like your magic bubbles," Harry said before he hugged her around her mid-section. His little squeeze made her want to vomit. _It's too early for me to be sick_, she told herself and turned back to the party-goers.

The 'usual crowd' was here: Dromy, Ted, and Nymphadora (who will only respond to Dora, not her full name), Draco and Cissy, the Weasleys, the Longbottoms, Kingsley and Amelia, and Minerva. Remus went overboard in celebrating his godson's first birthday and had ponies brought over from a local farm for the children to ride. Sirius and King were also taking the youngest children for rides with them on their brooms. The older Weasley children and Dora brought their brooms too and tried out the newly built Quidditch pitch in the valley just beyond the stable/garage building. The pitch was Harry's seventh birthday gift from his father. Actually, Sirius built three pitches at various houses and gave Harry a half-speed broom.

"Why don't you go fly," Kitty suggested, and Harry happily took off, having already wolfed down his slice of cake. Kitty lifted her youngest very carefully from his high-chair and set him down on the grass. She Banished the dirty outfit and diaper from his body and then covered him in her special rainbow bubbles that smelled like blueberries. When the bubbles had dissolved most of the gooey mess, Kitty dowsed her son with water from her wand and Summoned the clean set of clothes she'd put on the kitchen counter. In no time, he was clean, dry, and dressed. Thankfully, Rumple had seen to cleaning the high-chair, and Kitty moved it into the shade by the adult table and sat him down in it with a couple of his new toys so she could relax. Minerva came to sit next to her.

"Are you alright, dear? You seem a little green around the gills?"

"Please don't tell anyone just yet, but I'm pregnant again," Kitty said wistfully.

"You do not sound happy about."

"No, I'm not unhappy, but I had hoped it would take a bit longer. I only just went off the potion," Kitty explained.

"Well, I am happy to have another grandchild to look forward to, and I promise I won't tell a soul," Minerva said with a gentle pat of her hand on Kitty's arm. "Will it really change your life that much to have another child?"

"I suppose not, but I'm no closer to figuring out where the remaining Horcruxes are. I'm sure there is one in Hogwarts, but I don't know what it is. It seems that Tom used items of significance for the later ones – Slytherin's necklace and the Resurrection Stone set into a ring – but what would the others be?"

"Kitty, let me tell you about Tom when he was my student," Minerva began. "If you took him at face value, he was the perfect student – smart, polite, always turned assignments in on time, and they were done nearly perfectly. It is why he was made a prefect. However, I discovered it was only a veneer. I remember once, it must have been his sixth year, I came upon him and Cuthbert Avery picking on a group of fifth-year girls from Hufflepuff. The girls were terrified but more disturbing was how their clothing was askew. I could not prove it, as none of the girls would report, but I am sure they were forcing them to expose themselves for their entertainment. In all my teaching years, that was one of the worst things I had to intervene in. The girls were different after that; their grades suffered, and they became withdrawn."

"Couldn't the Ministry do something? Sexual abuse is a crime."

"Kitty, dear, this was the forties, the Muggle world was fighting against the Nazis, and we in the Magical world were fighting against Grindelwald. The Aurors were more concerned with keeping the Ministry from collapsing and chaos, becoming the order of the day. Britain had to stay strong to fight on both these fronts, and it meant that much of the standard crime was simply ignored," Minerva explained.

"I can tell you this, Tom was fascinated with the founders, especially Slytherin, but he wanted to know about all of them. He read everything we had in the library about Hogwarts' founding and the magic of the castle. He was quite obsessed with Grindelwald too, which might be how he ended up with the Resurrection Stone. Gellert was fanatical about them and being the Master of Death; I've always thought that is where Tom came up with the ideas surrounding his followers and their ridiculous name."

"Thank you for sharing this with me," Kitty said. "Albus shared so little about him when he was at Hogwarts. He called him inherently evil, but then didn't tell us about his most formative years." Minerva sighs.

"I believe Albus is embarrassed that he didn't do more when Tom was in school. Do your research into his life while at Hogwarts. I know there were formal reports made to the DMLE regarding some of his behaviors. Also, check the Children's Welfare records; the office wasn't as thorough as the Department of the Care and Treatment of Underage Witches and Wizards. _Meridee's Law_ was in effect, so there should be a file. Find it. The answers you seek may be there." Kitty leaned over and kissed her friend's cheek.

"Thank you," Kitty said. "It's the first solid lead I've had in months. I don't care if I have to read fifty case files. If it will give me a clue, then it's worth it."

"You were always excellent in your research. You and Lily were my bookworms."

"We made up for Marlene and Sirius, who never wanted to crack a book."

"Sirius was, is, so naturally talented that he just coasted along on his skill and his friendship with James. If those two had studied…well, I can't imagine what they might have accomplished. Don't ever share this, but some of the spell work on the pranks they did was exceptional, and I don't think anyone has ever become an Animagus as young as those two did."

"Oh, I know," Kitty said. "I've been reading up on the magic, and I'm considering trying to master it myself," she explained. "It would be helpful when I go back into the field."

"Theory only, right now," Minerva scolded. "You cannot transform into an animal while pregnant. The child can't change, so they could be irreparably damaged or killed."

"No, won't do anything to harm our next little Niffler. Speaking of which, I think I should take this one inside for his nap." John had played himself to sleep and was now drooped over the table.

"Please, allow me," Minerva said. "I don't have near enough time with my grandsons."

Two months passed between the time Minerva set Kitty on the task of learning more about Tom Riddle's life and today. Tom's Child Welfare record was astonishing to read. Nearly everyone interviewed said the same things, he was bright and studious, and there was something off about him. His employment records were what she was currently researching. His time with Borgin and Burkes had been incredibly illuminating.

Sirius found his wife in her office at home with three books hanging in the air around her and her nose in a somewhat dog-eared file. "How old is he now?"

"Early twenties," Kitty answered. "I think I might know what and where another Horcrux is."

"Really? What and where?" Sirius pulled a chair out and sat across the desk from Kitty.

"Now, I'm speculating here, but I think it's safe speculation. When I interviewed Tom again, he reacted very strongly to my mentioning the Founders of Hogwarts. His heart rate quickened, he perspired, and there was a definite tension in his body."

"Sounds like he's hiding something, which we know he is."

"Exactly, he also responded very strongly when I mentioned that Bella had died recently." It wasn't uncommon for the physical body to die within a year of being kissed. She'd hung on longer than her husband, his brother, and Lucius Malfoy.

"Well, they were rumored to be lovers," Sirius said.

"It was more than that. Consider this, we found a Horcrux at Malfoy Manor. We found another at Grimmauld Place, which Tom was surprised to find there. What if he gave one to Bellatrix to keep safe? She was always his closest follower." Kitty waited while Sirius considered this.

"The Lestranges lost their house when they went to Azkaban in eighty-one," Sirius began. "Their things went into the vault at Gringotts."

"Exactly. Who inherited the vault upon Bella's death?"

"Cissy and Dromy. It could be in there, but so would a lot of other junk. The Lestranges were an extremely old family. Believe me, old families collect tons of things no one needs. I took crates out of Grimmauld Place of stuff I didn't want, but I couldn't throw out because it was an heirloom."

"Sirius, have you looked at where we live? I have over four-hundred years' worth of clutter that I can't toss because of historical value. Anyway, that's where the Founders come back in." Kitty shared her theories with her husband, and Sirius agreed that it was worth a trip to Gringotts.

Two days later, Sirius met his cousins in Gringotts' lobby and awaited the goblin to take them to the lowest level and the Lestrange vault.

"So, you think something that has a bit of…_HIM_ is in that vault?" Dromy asked Sirius, turning a bit green as she said it. She wasn't like her cousin or his wife; she preferred to stay in the background and lead a quiet life. Sirius was always more daring, even as children. The most outlandish thing she'd ever done was fall in love with a Muggle-born Wizard and want to marry him.

"We do," Sirius said. "It will be something from either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, and they are both known to only have one famous artifact: Hufflepuff's Cup of Kindness and Ravenclaw's Diadem of Knowledge."

"There are liable to be dozens of cups in that vault," Cissy says. "Everything that they owned went in there, and they're an old family. Generations of silver and gold tableware are liable to be there. What if it's in the vault in France?" It was true, the Lestrange vault at the Gringotts branch in Paris was far more extensive than the one in London.

"I don't think Bella would have taken it out of the country. I don't think she could have left and come back without the Ministry knowing. No, it's in this vault since she needed to keep it safe for Tom. If it was in the house, it came here. If she'd placed it here, then it didn't move."

"How are you going to know it when you see it?" Dromy asked.

"Well, the cup has two handles, is golden, and has a badger on it. I think it's safe to say it's distinctive," Sirius explained. "Additionally, when I put on these fabulous spectacles," he said as he removed them from his pocket, "I know what Dark magic looks like when it's in things. Match up the cup and the Dark magic, and we've found it."

"Just don't grab anything," Cissy said, holding her gloved hand up.

"That is what the Dragon Hide gloves are for and this fabulous bag that Brightsword made for me," Sirius answered, even as he put a comforting hand on Cissy's shoulder. The goblin in charge of the Black accounts came forward to speak to the trio.

"Greetings, Lord Black," Strongspike said. "I am here to take you and the owners of the former Lestrange vault down to inspect it?"

"That is correct, Strongspike."

"Who holds the key?" the goblin asks.

"I do," Dromy replies, and the goblin nodded and led them to the carts. The ride seemed to take forever as they passed many of the vaults. They went below the level the Blacks were on; past the Potter vault's level, and then down some more. They landed on the next to the last level of the bank. Sirius had been to the lowest level with his wife, as the Fawley's were on the absolute lowest level and the most guarded in all the bank.

The goblin produced a second key, and in tandem, they were slipped into the lock and turned. The pair of heavy iron doors opened, revealing a treasure of gold, silver, jewels, and more. There was an entire library of books, most of which Sirius believed contain Dark spells and magic, which, in his opinion, should always stay hidden and locked away. The cave-like chamber also held generations of family memories – baby cradles, high-chairs, wedding robes, wands, and pictures of long-dead Lestranges all sleeping in their frames.

"My goodness," Cissy says as she walks in. "If I ever need more gold, I know where to come to."

"You will come to me," Sirius said. "I take care of my family."

"I know, Sirius," she said quietly. "But it would be nice to not need to ask you. Someday Draco will inherit the Malfoy Manor and treasures, but until then, I would like some independence." Sirius smiled and nodded gently.

"Well, I think we should get this done," Dromy said. "I don't like the feel of this place."

"There are definitely some nasty spells on these things," Sirius said after slipping the magical glasses onto his face, followed by his gloves. "Avoid that whole section over to the left," he said, pointing at a case holding tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and more all encrusted with jewels. "I don't know if you would meet the criteria of the spells, and I think it's another burning curse."

"I definitely do not want to meet one of those again," Cissy said, slipping her hands into the pockets of her robes.

Sirius moved slowly through the vault, careful not to touch anything. He finally spied it on the very top of another glass-fronted case. "There it is," he said, pointing, "but the pile here below it is spelled. Not sure what it does, but I think I can break it." He pulled his wand and pointed it at the pile of tableware. '_Finem in quas maledicta congessi,_" he said firmly, and a midnight-blue cloud appeared and then dispersed.

"What spell was that?" Cissy asked.

"It's a Spell Cancelling spell the Aurors use. More powerful than the standard spell, and it more completely destroys other spells. Plus, it works on more than one spell that might be on an item."

"Speaking of Aurors, where is Kitty?"

"Well, if you don't tell her, I let the cat out of the bag," he says sheepishly. "She's pregnant again. We're due to have a baby in the spring." Sirius beamed when he said it.

"Oh, Sirius, how wonderful," Dromy said, and he huggedhim.

"That's terrific news," Cissy said. "Auntie Cissy will be at the ready to mind the baby. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"We don't, and I doubt we'll find out. We didn't with John. While all we want is a healthy baby, I'd really like to have a girl; as would Harry. He thinks having a little sister will be like having Ginny around all the time."

"Those two are stuck to each other like a good Sticking Charm is on them," Cissy says. "It really is cute." Sirius nods with a great grin on his face.

"They remind me of how Kitty and I were when we were little kids."

"Well, just keep in mind how that turned out. You might have the Weasleys as in-laws one day," Dromy said with a knowing smile.

"We wouldn't complain one bit. Molly has been such a help to Kitty over these last few years. She wasn't quite prepared to be a mother when we brought Harry home." The others nod in understanding. "I think we need to finish this, then we can go get a coffee and chat more. It's currently banned from the house as the smell makes Kitty nauseous. _Accio_." Nothing happened, which didn't surprise Sirius. "I have a spell Kitty taught me, just in case the standard Summoning didn't work, which it didn't. _Ad se fugere."_

The cup rattled on the shelf, so Sirius tried it again, this time with more power to his voice and magic. "_Ad se fugere." _The cup began to move toward Sirius but was also feeling a pullback toward the shelf.

Cissy then pulled her wand and pointed it at the shelf, "_Finite Incantatum."_ Whatever Sticking Charm had been placed there was broken, and the cup floated gently toward Sirius, and he directed it right into the burlap bag with runes and other symbols are drawn on it. He then placed the bag on the floor.

"Cissy, given what one of these things did to you, would you like to be the one who destroys this one?" Sirius asked.

"Absolutely," Cissy announced.

"Okay, the spell is _Auferte animam ad infernum," _he said with his wand at his side as not to accidentally destroy the Horcrux.

"Banish to hell? Really?" Cissy asks.

"Yeah, as I said, it will destroy this thing. You ready?" Sirius asked.

"I am," Cissy said.

"Dromy, can you cast a Shield Charm over yourself and Cissy, please?" Sirius asked as he raised his wand too. Silently two Shield Charms spring into place.

"_Auferte animam ad infernum!" _Cissy said with anger, and the spell exited her wand with a visible white streak. When it met with the cup, there was a blasting noise, and then the outline of the drinking vessel was gone. A thin curl of dark smoke wound its way upwards before dissipating into nothing.

"Well done," Sirius said to his cousin. "Need anything else while we're here?"


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: I love when I get to say 'this is the penultimate chapter', and it is. Final chapter will be up on Monday. Thanks to everyone who stuck around. Next week I'll let you in on my next fic as well as some awesome news. Thanks for reading and reviewing. MNF**

**Chapter 38:**

**Waiting for the Night**

**May 1988**

"Minerva," Kitty said as the children's "grandma" was rocking their newest addition, Meissa Minerva Fawley-Black. Eight days old and named after one of the Orion constellation stars and another name not used by the Black family before. Meissa was all Black family genes, dark curly hair, mutable grey eyes, and a lip that already hitched up on one side like her daddy's when he was up to something. She was liable to be Sirius's female embodiment, especially if her temper was anything to go by.

"Yes, dear," Minerva replied without looking up.

"Are there any rumored places in the castle? Myths about rooms? I've read through _Hogwarts: A History_ again, but it's so vague on what might be hidden in Hogwarts."

"There are a few more mythical rooms, although I have never seen any of them myself. There is, of course, the Chamber of Secrets, which Hagrid was supposed to have opened while he was at Hogwarts, but I never believed it was him. According to legend, Salazar Slytherin's serpent is supposed to live there. There is also believed to be a chamber that Godric Gryffindor left behind with a portrait of himself to answer any questions a Gryffindor student might bring to him, but again, no one has found it while I was at the school. If any Gryffindor were to find it, I believe it would have been Albus, but he has not either." Minerva shifted the baby slightly and then looks up at Kitty.

"Hufflepuff was rumored to have had a Secret Garden you could reach through a portrait on the Great Staircase, but as you know, it's often a challenge to just climb those stairs. Ravenclaw also has a secret library, somewhere in the castle, according to legend. None of these has ever been found. Finally, there is the rumored Come and Go Room."

"What is that?" Kitty asked, intrigued.

"Supposedly, there is a room that will become anything you need it to be. I know no one who has ever found it, and if any students might, I believe it was your husband and his cohorts." Kitty chuckled softly in response.

"Absolutely," she replied. Meissa began to stir in Minerva's arms, and Kitty wasn't surprised; it's about time for her to feed.

"Hello there, bright eyes," Minerva cooed at the baby on her lap. "Aren't you just the most beautiful little girl in the world. I've seen beautiful babies before, but you, Little Miss, you take the prize." Kitty smiled and shook her head, then she remembered, Grandmamas were made for spoiling children.

Kitty couldn't help but think about the disastrous visit with her parents around the holidays, a sharp contrast to how Minerva was now. The Fawley-Black's traveled to France to see her parents, and she found them uninterested in the children and too aloof to carry a conversation with. They ridiculed her choice in clothing for herself and the boys; they said they expected no less than jeans and jumpers for Sirius, but she could have done better. Kitty reminded them she was pregnant, and it was easier for her to move and pick up John, who was only sixteen months old at the time in Muggle attire. It was then suggested that John should be with a nanny and Harry with a tutor. The two-day visit felt like two years, and she left feeling defeated and horrible. She had once been as stiff and snobby as them. Thank goodness for Sirius and his freeing her from that shell. They hadn't bothered to do more than send an owl to let her parents know that Meissa had been born. Remus and Mae, Sirius's cousins, and Minerva were more of a family to them now.

"Kitty, Kitty," Minerva said, and Kitty realized she was being called. "I think Little Miss here would like to eat."

"Yes, absolutely," Kitty said, standing and taking the baby to change her nappy and then settle down to feed her. Once the pair were settled, and Meissa was latched on, the two women continued their conversation.

"Mind you, if there were any beings who would know if this Come and Go Room existed, it would be the house-elves," Minerva explained.

"Oh, that's true. Can I come back with you and ask some of them? I'd wait until after supper, of course," Kitty asked.

"Only if you let me cuddle that little girl more before I leave?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Kitty said, although the last word was drowned out by the rumble of little feet coming into the room. At nearly eight, Harry had caught up with the other children his age, save Ron, who was taller than any other boys. Given his two eldest brothers' heights, Ron was likely to grow to be well over six feet. Harry and Ginny were holding hands as they came in.

"Grandmummy Mini, I didn't know you were coming today," Harry said when he saw her and dropped Ginny's hand to come and hug his grandmummy in all but blood.

"I came to see your little sister," Minerva explained. She had brought gifts for Harry and John but decided to hold off until after the others had headed home.

"She's very pretty," Harry said. "I like that I have a little sister now. I have a new bedroom too. It's not attached to Mum and Dad's at all."

"Well, you're a big boy now, Harry. In just a few years, you're going to come to Hogwarts with me. I hope that you're in Gryffindor."

"I think I will be since my first mum and dad were in Gryffindor, and my new mum and dad were too. However, Mum says that whatever house I end up in is just fine since there are good parts to all of them. Uncle Remus said I might end up in Ravenclaw since I like to read so much."

"Your mummy is right since every house has their strong points, and there is no shame in being something other than a Gryffindor. What about the rest of you?"

"I'm going to be a Gryffindor," Ron said. "Weasleys are always in Gryffindor."

"Ronald Weasley, you are absolutely correct. I have Bill, Charlie, and Percy in my house right now, and I suspect you will be there too."

"You're going to need to survive Fred and George first. Mum is looking forward to them going, I think, but it's still a year away," Ron said with a smile. Minerva nodded. She'd been to enough parties with the twins to know what a handful they were.

"I'm going to be in Slytherin like any respectable Black," Draco said. He said nothing of his father any longer. Cissy had gone so far as to change their last name to Black. Should Draco want to embrace the Malfoy name when he was grown, he could do that.

"Don't you think Sirius is respectable, Draco?" Kitty asked.

"Now, yes, but Mother said he was a terror growing up," he replied. "I do not want to be anything like that." Kitty nodded as she couldn't disagree with that description of Sirius as a child.

"Well, then," Sirius said as he entered the room with John on his hip, still a bit drowsy after his nap, "I guess I don't need to take you out flying this afternoon."

"No, Cousin Sirius, you're perfectly respectable now," Draco proclaimed. Everyone laughed, which caused Meissa to let out a little howl of indignation that her meal was being interrupted. Kitty saw to setting her child to rights, which calmed her quickly.

"What about you, Neville? Have you considered what house you'd like to be in?"

"Like Harry, my parents were Gryffindors, and I would like to honor them and follow in their footsteps, but I think Hufflepuff might be my house, Mrs. McGonagall," he said thoughtfully.

"Why is that Neville?"

"Well, Professor Sprout is the Head of House there, and I very much like plants. Also, I just want to have friends and be kind. That's sort of what Hufflepuff is, isn't it?" Minerva motioned for Neville to come closer, and when Neville did, she hugged him.

"That is very astute of you, Neville, and you have a very kind heart." Kitty and Minerva had spoken at length about how Neville wasn't getting the affection he needed from his grandmother. They both took care to give him hugs and praise whenever they could.

"You haven't asked me what house I want," Ginny said with some indignation.

"You are correct, but Miss Ginevra, I suspect your answer will be either _'wherever Harry is'_ or Gryffindor. Am I correct?" Ginny nodded.

"_Demandez – lui du venir tot,_" Harry said quietly to Ginny.

"_Est cito,_" she replied.

"_No, no lo es,_" Harry answered.

"Oh, alright," Ginny said, finally ending their back and forth. "What do I need to do to come to Hogwarts with my friends. I know as much as they do."

"Were they just bouncing around in different languages?" Minerva asked Kitty.

"Yes, French, then Latin and finally Spanish. They've been told it isn't polite to talk around people in the room." Kitty had her mum voice out, and the two looked quite ashamed and apologized.

"Ginny, I'm not sure, but I will find out. I believe you have every right to come with those you've been studying with."

"Thank you, Mrs. McGonagall."

"You're very welcome. Where is your tutor?" Minerva asked just as Remus was coming into the room, looking a bit dazed. "What happened to you?"

"First Potions lesson," he said. "All those little knives were something to keep an eye on, then we had a bit of an explosion."

"Just because Ronnie put his things into the cauldron in the wrong order," Ginny said as a taunt.

"I told you not to call me Ronnie," he answered, pulling her plait.

"That would be the cue for the two of you to take the Floo home," Remus said, taking each by the shoulder and directing them to the fireplace. They continued to tussle as they left the room.

"Perhaps it would be better if they were in different houses?" Minnie mused. Being a Friday and not being on duty with the Prefects this evening or having office hours should a student need assistance, she could cuddle her grandchildren. Soon both Neville and Draco had been escorted home, and the Fawley-Blacks sat down for dinner. Remus and Mae had decided to go to one of the other houses for a weekend alone.

That night after the children were asleep and the house-elves on duty were watching them, Sirius and Kitty went to the kitchens at Hogwarts with the Deputy Headmistress to ask for help. Minerva called forward the elf whose responsibility it was to keep her rooms.

"I's here, Professor McGonagall," a cheery little elf with very hairy ears said when she came forward. "What can I get you? I have some of your favorite biscuits put away."

"No, but thank you, Dandie," she said. "My friends here need to know if you've ever encountered the Come and Go Room?"

"Of course, I's have," the little elf answered. "Students leave the silliest things lying about, and sometimes we don't have any other place to put them but there."

"Dandie, would you be willing to show us?" Kitty asked.

"Of course, I's would," she said happily. "Anything for Miss Kitty from Gryffindor."

"You remember me?"

"Miss Kitty was always very neat," Dandie said. "Yous, and Miss Lilly were always nice to us. Nice students don't happen much. We remember the nice ones."

"Thank you," Kitty said honestly. "I loved my elves, and I think of the ones we have now as part of my family. I wouldn't let anyone else look after my babies." Dandie smiled at her, and Kitty shared a grin back. Sirius was about to open his mouth and ask if Dandie remembered him, but Kitty suspected the answer wouldn't be good and drove the heel of her shoe into his toes to keep him quiet. She knew he'd charmed his way into the kitchens and lots of food for parties, but he was also a slob. She didn't know what the elves might have thought of him.

"I'll leave you to this," Minerva said while still suppressing a laugh at the antics of the married pair. "Come back to my office to Floo home." She turned and left the kitchens.

"Here, take my hands," Dandie said, and the Fawley-Blacks did as asked. Soon they found themselves in front of a particularly ugly tapestry in an empty hallway.

"What is going on in that?" Sirius asked, pointing at the trolls in tutus.

"That's be Barnabas the Barmy," Dandie said. "He thought he could teach them trolls ballet." Kitty shook her head at it.

"You'd need to be barmy to try that. So, where is the door?" she asked.

"Right here," Dandie said, pointing at the wall across from the tapestry.

"I don't see a door," Sirius said.

"You need to walk in front of the wall, thinking about what you need three times. Be specific; the room cans be tricky."

"Thank you, Dandie," Kitty said. Sirius had already started pacing. Dandie popped away.

"I need the room where Tom Riddle hid the diadem, I need the room where Tom Riddle hid the diadem, I need the room where Tom Riddle hid the diadem," Sirius muttered. It was specific, Kitty thought. If no door appeared, then Tom hadn't hidden anything here. Much to her genuine surprise, a door grew out of the stones.

"I guess it's here," Sirius said, and he reached for the handle even as he pulled his wand. Kitty held her wand aloft and reached for Sirius once the door was open. "You remember what it looks like, right?"

"I do," she answered, wondering at the piles of things stacked precariously from floor to ceiling. "This might be harder than it looks."

"Honestly, how many diamond tiaras do you think are in here? It's not like the average student is going to bring one with them."

"I did," Kitty replied.

"Yes, but you're a princess, not average by any stretch," Sirius said before kissing her sweetly. "Absolutely not average."

"My prince." Sirius attempted to summon the diadem, but like the other Horcruxes, it did not respond.

"I think we are going to need to search a bit harder," Kitty said. "Look inside of cabinets or trunks. Hopefully, there's nothing lethal in here." Just then, she disturbed a curtain, and a whole family of Doxies flew out.

"Dammit, I hate those things," Sirius said as he Stunned one after another. "I had hoped I'd dealt with the last of them when I cleaned up Grimmauld for Cissy."

"We own eleven houses, Sirius, only four of which we've lived in. We have more Doxies." They split up to go through more pieces of furniture. After nearly forty-five minutes, Kitty opened a rather dingy looking wardrobe and was surprised at what she found sitting on a shelf. "Sirius!" He was with her instantly. "What do you think?" she asked while pointing at a tiara with a large blue oval-shaped stone in the center, surrounded by diamonds. Delicate words were etched on the silver on either side of the stones. Sirius slipped on his dragonhide gloves and summoned the headpiece to him. It floated down and landed in his hand. Kitty twisted her wand in some intricate patterns, but nothing happened.

"There isn't a single spell on this thing," she said before slipping her work-issued glasses on. "Oh, but there is Dark magic amassed in it. I think we've found the last one." She drew from her pocket the another of Brightsword's magical bags and helped Sirius place it inside.

"Why wasn't there more magic, like with the ring or the cup? This had nothing on it," she wondered.

"There wasn't any magic on the necklace either," Sirius reminded her. "Maybe he made it early on and didn't think he'd need protection?"

"Maybe, but look what the diary, which housed the very young Tom Riddle in its pages, did to Cissy's hand?"

"True. Would you like to be the one who ends this?"

"Very much so," Kitty answered. After spending the last two years watching everyone else destroy these damned things, Kitty was happy to finally have her turn. Sirius put the bag on the floor and prepared to tell Kitty the spell to use when a bright green spell ripped from her wand, and a squeal of anguish was heard. The face of an older Tom Riddle, still human-looking although quite pale, floated up from the bag. Made from mist and smoke, it glared at Kitty and began to open its mouth.

It didn't get the chance. Kitty just blew it away with a puff from her lips.

"Did you just use an Unforgivable Curse?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I did," she answered. "Open the bag; I want to see if Kingsley and I were right?" Sirius did as told, and he pulled out the diadem still whole and beautiful. "We bet Minister Scrimgeour that if we used the Killing Curse on one of these things, we might save the object and simply kill the Horcrux. I was willing to risk the destruction of the diadem to know if we can save the Resurrection Stone."

"What did you win in the bet?" Sirius asked.

"Lunch at the Canteen. We're technically not allowed to bet on such things at the Ministry." Sirius laughed and hugged his wife. Now they knew how to destroy the ring without damaging the stone. The nightmare of Tom Riddle was nearly over.


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: Here it is, the final chapter. I feel the need to thank all of you who stuck with this story, since I took a huge break in the middle. I will be starting a new story next week, it's a bit of a comedy which is new for me. Thank you to Arnel, my faithful beta. Enjoy the chapter, the end and a beginning. MNF**

**Chapter 39:**

**Two Minute Warning**

**November 1, 1988**

"You're a right bastard, hanging on this long," Kitty said to the small, dying mass that was Tom Riddle. The ring containing the Resurrection Stone was destroyed only days after the diadem, but Babymort had held on for nearly six more months. Kitty was notified when respirations and the heartbeat had dropped to near-fatal levels. "What was worth sticking around for?" She knew it couldn't answer, his speech had been impossible since the cup had been destroyed, but Kitty was watching his eyes. There was still something vital in them.

"Were you waiting for that wretched Anniversary? Well, it's passed, so please leave this world and let us move on." Something angry flared in the darkness.

"You're angry with me? I'm the one who argued that the Ministry couldn't kill you when you've just hung on, not really alive but clearly not dead either. I'm the one who has the right to be angry. You murdered two of my best friends for no reason other than they defied you and had a baby boy. More than half the world defied you seven years ago. We didn't want your rule. We didn't want to be subjugated and have our ability to think taken away. We didn't want a ruler who cared more for his own comforts than for what was best as a nation. We didn't want you."

Kitty paced the room, always maintaining eye contact. She would see when the light went out in those eyes and when his fragmented soul slipped from this existence into whatever was next. While not a Christian herself, she definitely believed in their definition of Hell and hoped that Tom Riddle would spend the remainder of eternity burning for all the murders that were on his hands.

Sirius and Remus had argued with her when she was preparing to leave to come and sit vigil, saying there was no reason for her to be there; the medical team could document the death. They didn't understand. As one last act of penance to Jamie and Lily, she needed to be here so that the last thing the creature was reminded of was the lives of her friends. Maybe then she could stop berating herself.

Intellectually, Kitty knew that she'd more than made up for her absence seven years ago. She'd loved and cared for Harry in a way consistent with how they'd have raised him. He was a brilliant boy, full of magical talent, but also with an enormous heart filled with love and compassion. She and Sirius had reconciled, and she'd helped him put the ghosts of Azkaban behind him. Now their family had grown to include a brother and sister for Harry – John just over two and six-month-old Meissa. She'd done as Jamie had made her swear to and had helped Remus lead a productive life free from poverty and the stresses of his illness. He had finally proposed to Mae and would be married in the spring. In her head, she knew there was nothing to atone for. Her heart still harbored such ideas.

"Close your eyes and just submit to the darkness," Kitty crooned in a soft, almost musical voice. "I know it must be calling you by now."

The creature just stared.

"Fine, be stubborn; I'm here for the duration. I even brought some knitting." Kitty sat down in the sole chair in the room and gazed on the small lump of what was once a human. For all the bluster and vibrato, he'd had a decade ago; now he was in a nappy, inside a magical crib with bars surrounding the thin mattress to keep him from falling out. If she could have felt **anything **besides contempt, Kitty might have considered how humiliating it was for the thing which was once called Lord Voldemort. However, she couldn't and didn't feel the need to. She lifted her needles and went to work on a sweater for Meissa for Christmas. She was making each of the boys' similar ones, so they'd match for the annual family Christmas picture that went out with the cards.

About an hour later, she was surprised when Kingsley and Amelia came in, carrying takeaway cups of tea and a sleeve of Kitty's favorite biscuits. They might be Muggle made, but when McVitties decided to make Chocolate Hobnobs the year before, Kitty fell in love. She felt quite spoilt now, with black tea, excellent biscuits, and friends to keep her company on her vigil.

"Still alive?" Kingsley asked casually.

"Yes, barely. He keeps trying to give me the evil eye, but it's hard to take it that way when he's emaciated and wearing the same brand of nappy my daughter wears. Really, the dancing elephants look cute on her but rather silly on him. He's what, like sixty years old and wearing baby nappies." The sarcasm in her voice was thick.

"Be nice," Amelia warned. "Someday, you might be emaciated and wearing nappies on your deathbed."

"True, but when that happens, I will have people I love with me, not two Aurors and the DMLE head waiting to document it," Kitty answered.

The trio enjoyed their tea, then picked up a quiet conversation covering everything from Kitty's children to Kingsley's nieces and nephew and Amelia's niece. They moved on to Ministry politics and finally their individual holiday plans. Eventually, at seven-forty-three in the evening, the creature that had once been a dangerous Dark Lord and terror of wizarding Britain died with a shuddering breath.

He never closed his eyes. The last thing he saw was the angry yet pitying look of Kitty Fawley-Black, Auror.

Kitty silently bade the gods and goddesses to let his victims finally have a peaceful rest.

**September 1, 1991**

"You've got everything, right?" Kitty asked.

"Yes, Mum," Harry answered, sounding more annoyed than he really was. He was pushing his trolley through the Muggle part of King's Cross Station and was about to go through the barrier at Platform 9 ¾. His little brother, John, was riding on his trunk, holding the cage of Harry's own owl, Hedwig.

"You didn't sneak your broom, right?" Sirius asked, Meissa on his hip. She was pouting at her oldest brother's leaving. The two had a precious bond, and Harry read to her every morning after breakfast. She would be missing that most of all.

"No, Dad, although Grandmummy Mimi says that she might let me play Seeker even though I'm a first-year."

"You've got to remember not to call her that at school," Kitty reminded him. "She's Professor McGonagall."

"Yeah, yeah, Mum." Harry then walked through the barrier, followed by his parents. He'd see his Aunt and Uncle when he arrived at school because Remus had been hired as the Defense professor two years ago. Now that Voldemort was dead, the curse was gone, and he could work due to the Werewolf Protection Laws his father had helped get passed. Harry would also have a new cousin before the year was out.

The Weasleys and the Longbottoms were already on the platform, and Harry immediately went to Ginny's side. Unlike his first father and mother, they were inseparable, probably wouldn't spend years arguing before they started dating. Both sets of parents saw it as a foregone conclusion they'd fall in love – or really grow in their love, since they already were deeply devoted to each other.

"So, how will you feel to be an empty-nester, Molly?" Kitty asked. The other woman pulled out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

"Not good at all," Molly answered.

"Dearest, you knew this day was coming," Arthur reminded her. "Consider all the things we're going to be able to do? Think of how little bickering there will be!" Ginny and Ron were almost always at each other's throats. For the entire school's sanity, Kitty silently hoped that Harry and Ginny might be sorted into Ravenclaw and Ron into Gryffindor, so there was some peace.

The train whistle blew, marking the warning. "Better get those trunks onto the train," Sirius said. He was feeling a bit nostalgic being here. Hogwarts had been his first true home. A gentle tug on his hair and a little voice whispering in his ear reminded him his home now was full of love, laughter, and sweetness. Arthur looked at the other man and smiled at how he was wearing pink glittering nail polish on three fingers. He'd done the same with Ginny when she was small. At her request, Meissa was sat down on the floor where she ran to Harry and held onto his legs.

"Don't leave me," she begged, tears coming to her eyes. Harry picked up his little sister and gave her a big hug, which Ginny joined in on.

"I will write to you every day if that makes you feel better, and you can send back lots of pictures with Hedwig. I'll come home, sometimes, for Sunday dinner too. Please don't cry," he said gently.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, my little Meissa, brightest star in the sky." She gave him a rather wet kiss on the cheek before he set her down and ran back to her daddy. She was definitely a daddy's girl.

Harry then gave his little brother a high five before hugging his parents.

"Let us know what house you're sorted into," Sirius said.

"And remember we will be proud regardless of where you end up," Kitty added.

"But try not to be sorted into Slytherin," Sirius tagged on, and Kitty glared at him. Remus had told them the house rivalries were healthy but not as dangerous as when they were in school. Kitty stressed that the house didn't matter as much as maintaining his friendships with Neville, Draco, and Ron.

Cissy and Draco sped through the entrance, nearly plowing into Sirius in their haste.

"What happened? You were almost ready to leave when we talked an hour ago," Kitty asked Cissy.

"Someone couldn't find his cat," she answered, giving the black creature in its cage quite a bit of side-eye.

"It wasn't my fault she was frightened of the Doxy I found," Draco answered.

"Where was there a Doxy in that house? I removed all the nests." Sirius prided himself on his ability to de-Doxy his homes.

"It was in Regulus' trunk, up in the attic. It had made a home in his old robes. Mum got it."

"Well, you're here now, and it really is time for you all to get on the train," Kitty said. The Weasley's older sons had already boarded the train, leaving just the children who had studied together since they were preschoolers. "Remember, all of you are intelligent students who are going to know more than most of your counterparts. Be kind about it." Five bobbing heads answered her before final hugs and kisses were given, and they paraded off toward the front of the train.

The parents watched as the train left, leaving them all feeling a tiny bit sad but still immensely proud.

"I can only imagine what adventures he'll have," Sirius said wistfully.

"I can only hope they aren't as interesting as yours were," Kitty replied, causing the adults to laugh. She then picked up John. "We are headed to the Muggle zoo. Would anyone like to join us?" Not surprisingly, Mrs. Longbottom begged off while the other three agreed, seeing as Arthur had taken the day off from work, and neither Cissy nor Molly had anything pressing. With waves of wands, the group wore appropriate Muggle outfits. They passed through the arch and made their way into London.


End file.
